Mourn Again: A Glimpse of Joy in Lent’s Journey

Prayer of Illumination

O Lord, we find our joy in you, and in your Word we trust. By the power of your Spirit, set our hearts and minds on the source of life and peace: Jesus Christ our Savior. It is in that precious name we pray, Amen.

Reading of the Word

Psalm 30:1-12

Psalm 30:1–12 (NASB 2020)

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.

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.

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.

Praise Him! vs. 1-3

He praises God for the experience.

God lifted him from the pit.

The Reality: None of us will escape the pit of death in this life. “dust you are and dust you shall return.”

There is a pit too that leads to the second death - which is eternal.

The pits of life: debt, depression, addiction, physical illness.

God will lift us from the pit too!

Place your trust and confidence in the Lord.

When our confidence is in God, it makes the devil nervous.

God heals him.

He doesn’t abandon him while in the lowest parts of life.

Physical or representative of something else? Whatever it was, David felt it was amazing enough to be praiseworthy.

He praises God because this experience teaches him of God’s character - His holy Name.

To see God’s agape love in our lives, we must be holy.

A Community Praise-A-Thon vs. 4

Much of the book of Psalms was praise of God in a communal setting. David knew how important this was!

God doesn’t want us going through the journey of faith alone

David had godly people surrounding him.

We have the church…our family of faith, community, district, world. Self-isolation from the church is a huge mistake.

The Source of Praise vs. 5

Verse 5 is the source of the praise shown by God’s people in verse 4. May we praise him for:

His short span of anger turns into His favor upon us.

Two contrasting positions:

This is for Christians to remember; a promise given. God’s favor is seen when all is well with our soul. Anger no longer is seen; wrath and punishment removed. Sin no longer has dominion. God’s favor (look up)

His quick anger remains for the unsaved; they have not been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb. The barrier to God remains; the veil still separates us.

Weeping comes but doesn’t last because God changes the situation to one of joy.

Jesus’ dies a torturous death…disciples crushed and lost…hiding and scattered in fear and sorrow…the night consumed them.

Morning came…Mary found an empty tomb…Jesus rose from the dead…He appears to them and joy is restored.

Romans 8:28 NASB 2020

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

The Circumstances of Deliverance vs. 6-7

Keyword “my”…in his own strength and way of doing things. Less of self, more of him. Our Lenten prayer. vs 6

The attitude that I can do everything on my own is one of self-centeredness and pride.

Rejecting the gift of community when God openly offers it as a tool of refinement and encouragement is such a great gift so we can be our very best for God.

Early in my dealing with spinal issues, I wanted to do everything on my own. Many times, i rejected help. One day, I heard through a sermon these words “when you reject someone that wants to help you, you rob them of a blessing.” I was humbled quickly, repented, and tried to give people the opportunity to be a blessing for God and others.

God responded…He hid his face. David was horrified because He could feel God’s favor fading. vs 7

God’s glory leaving the temple.

Jesus dying on the cross.

Prayer & Protest vs. 8-10

Conviction overwhelmed David

David knew what he had to do. He became like the beggar with the huge debt and pleaded with God for compassion. He wanted that favor to be restored again.

The dust can do nothing to praise God. We have one life to let our voice be heard. Let it be heard praising God.

Protest ensues for God to turn his face towards God so he could be that voice for God. David becoming dust takes away that voice.

A Prayer Answered & A Burden Lifted vs. 11

Mourning to dancing…despair to celebration. No longer outcasts and are brought into communion with him and his people.

God takes off the garments filthy with sin, shame and sorrow and replaces them with garments of mercy, righteousness, and love.

Our heavy burden is taken and He replaces it with His that is easy and light.

Let the Circle be Unbroken vs. 12

He commits himself to using his voice to glorify God.

We need to do the same.

Psalm 150:6 NASB 2020

Everything that has breath shall praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

This psalm begins and ends with praise. And rightfully so!

Great example of how our prayers should be!

Praise God for who He is and what he’s done in our lives.

David gave him a thanks offering.

Have hearts full of thanksgiving.

Live the attitude of gratitude.

To Sum It Up: We must embrace the mourning of Lent so that we can get to the joyousness that runs within it.

Psalm 30:1–12 MSG

I give you all the credit, God— you got me out of that mess, you didn’t let my foes gloat. God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. God, you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out. All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God! Thank him to his face! He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. When things were going great I crowed, “I’ve got it made. I’m God’s favorite. He made me king of the mountain.” Then you looked the other way and I fell to pieces. I called out to you, God; I laid my case before you: “Can you sell me for a profit when I’m dead? auction me off at a cemetery yard sale? When I’m ‘dust to dust’ my songs and stories of you won’t sell. So listen! and be kind! Help me out of this!” You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can’t thank you enough.

Conclusion

After this short reprieve of joy that we celebrated today, we now march towards passion-tide and the heartbeat of our faith. Next week we place ourselves at the cross, remembering His sacrifice. Lets go forward with souls yearning for God.

Prayer Following Message

Heavenly Father, I praise and thank You for Your loving-kindness and long-suffering toward us gathered here. Thank You that no matter what difficulty and pain we may go through in this life, help us to remember that weeping will be replaced with laughter, and pain with joy. One day, this joy will be complete and make us whole as we meet you face to face. Help us to remain joyful in you so that your strength will carry us from this life and into your presence. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Benediction

As we journey through this season of Lent, may the light of God's love shine brightly upon you. May your hearts be filled with hope and joy, even in the midst of penance and reflection.

May the rose-colored hue of this Sunday remind you of the approaching dawn, bringing the promise of redemption and renewal.

May the grace of God be your constant companion, strengthening you in times of challenge and guiding you on the path of righteousness.

May the joy of the Lord be your source of strength, lifting your spirits as you continue your journey towards Easter.

May almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit as you go into the mission field to love and serve the Lord and one another. Amen.