His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime

Psalm 30 from the daily reading in the One year Bible

I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
² Lord my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
³ Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
⁴ Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones,
And praise the mention of His holiness.
⁵ For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

⁶ Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”
⁷ Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
⁸ To You, Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I pleaded for compassion:
⁹ “What gain is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

¹⁰ “Hear, Lord, and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my helper.”
¹¹ You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;
You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy,
¹² That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. 

The psalmist says: I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.  Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.  We all have an enemy and it is the Lord who has kept the enemy from rejoicing over us.  1 Peter 5:8 says:  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says:  “O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of the victory that we have in Christ over our enemy, he roars, but in order to devour he needs permission. He is defeated. We are the only ones who can give permission for the devil to harm us, by our own  choice to reject the victory of the cross. 

The psalmist says:  Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, And praise the mention of His holiness. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.  Matthew 27:46 says:  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  That was the moment of God’s anger. It was directed at the sins of the world, which were place upon Jesus. Matthew 28:5-7 says:  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”  Joy came that morning and God’s favor lasts more than a lifetime. It is forever in the power of the resurrection. 

The psalmist says:  Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, “I will never be moved.”  Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed. To You, Lord, I called, And to the Lord I pleaded for compassion:  “What gain is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?  “Hear, Lord, and be gracious to me; Lord, be my helper.”  You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy,  That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.   In John 10:10 Jesus says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  The abundant life Jesus gives is not though abundance as the world measures it. It is not material wealth or excess of things. It is an abundance of His grace toward us. It is delighting in Him. Philippians 4:11-13;19 says:  I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me…  And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  In truth, even more than meeting our needs, He is all that we need.

 I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.   Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, And praise the mention of His holiness. My soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Amen.