Sometimes you have to get through today the best you can and trust tomorrow to the Lord.”
–Elmer Kelton (Badger Boy)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
–Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
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Again, I will say we don’t thank the Lord enough. We need to praise Him more: for who He is, for what He has done, and for what He is going to do. We could get into a discussion about what praise is, but I like the simple words of G.S. Bowes. He said that praise is, “The rent we owe God. And the larger the farm, the greater the rent should be.”
Let’s finish looking at Psalm 30 (HCSB) today, and see if we can glean something from it that will enrich our lives.
8 – Lord, I called to You; I sought favor from my Lord:
9 – “What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your truth?
10 – Lord, listen and be gracious to me; Lord, be my helper.”
11 – You turned my lament into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 – so that I can sing to You and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise You forever.
David is not challenging God in verse 9. He is simply stating that when he dies he will no longer be able to lift his voice in praise. His life will be gone; it is now, while he is still living that he can praise the Lord. While we are still living we should be praising God, for when death and darkness come there is no praise.
“Walk in the light, and e’en the tomb
No fearful shade shall wear.
Glory shall chase away its gloom,
For Christ hath conquered there.”
–Bernard Barton
Oh, but you say, in heaven we shall praise Him. Yes, that is true, but why wait until after you are placed in the tomb? We are to know our purpose now, and therefore, by knowing it we should be glorifying God in it. We should be glorifying/praising/giving thanks in all situations.
Again, in this psalm we recognize the importance of lifestyle. A lifestyle of praise is true worship. How you live reflects how you see God. I truly believe that we praise God now for His blessing, but when we get to heaven most of our praise will be in recognition of who He is and it will be that of thankfulness. David realized that for he said he would “praise God forever.”
Maybe our prayer could be that given by George O. Wood, “There is no pit, Lord, so deep that Your arm can’t reach me. You are gripping me strongly today, and I thank You that You will not let go. I know You will pull me all the way up and out, that the length of joy You give will more than compensate for any temporary season of sorrow.”