Cubist Psalm

There is something for everyone in Psalm 30. It captures a plethora of human emotions and different moments with God. No matter if you’ve just been through a trying time or you are about to begin one, Psalm 30 has much wisdom to offer.
1I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 
2O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 
3O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 
4Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. 
5For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 
6As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 
7By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 
8To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication: 
9“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 
10Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 
12so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
Chandler Brown Stokes phrases it best in Daily Feast, a daily devotional book based on the lectionary, in which he wrote:
“This short psalm maps so many contours of our emotional landscape: the exaltation of knowing that we have been delivered from a hopeless situation, the wonder at how things that seem so sinister can turn to blessing, the chagrin of knowing we had been over content and haughty, and the bewilderment at seeing how things can turn on a dime; it includes a self-affirming, winking prayer for help, quick desperation, and utter joy dancing in praise– exaltation, wonder, embarrassment, astonishment, playfulness, anguish, and delight, all in twelve verses.”
 
It is an impressive feat for so much to be packed into 12 short verses, and even more impressive that this psalm can function as a daily reflection of your life. No matter what kind of day you are having, psalm 30 is relatable and expressive of your experience that day; if ever there was a psalm that completely understood you, it’d be this one. But what is more impressive is that this psalm captures the intricate reality of being part of the Church body. While you may only relate to one or two of the emotions present in Psalm 30 at one time, the emotional state of the entire Church is present in this psalm at all times. Again, I think Stokes says it best:
“The psalm is less a map of condition than it is a cubist painting, simultaneously showing side, front, and bottom views of our human face. The body of Christ is a community that has all those faces at once.”
 
When we come together as a church to worship it is easy to forget that not everyone there feels the same way you do that day. For some it may be a beautiful day full of happiness, and for others it may the the anniversary of a horrible tragedy. For some the day may be drenched in monotony and boredom, and for others it may be anxious and worrisome. For some worship might come easily, and for others worship may be forced if not fake. As a body – as the Church – we are a complex grouping of emotions with the widest variety of emotions always present among us. In this way, Psalm 30 is not just a daily reflection of your own life experience, but it is also a reminder of the condition of our church family. So the next time you come to worship, remember Psalm 30, and remember that the people smiling back at you, shaking your hand, giving you hugs, and politely carrying on conversation might also be experience “exaltation, wonder, embarrassment, astonishment, playfulness, anguish, or delight,” and they might need you to remind them of the hope we have in our God, who turns our mourning into dancing.