By: Dustin M. Walters
3 O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. [Psa 30:3-4 NKJV]
It has been said that there is a Psalm for every season and I think there is some truth to that. No matter what we are going through, we can find a Psalm that resonates with our situation. That is because the Psalmists used poetry to express the deepest thoughts and feelings that all humans experience at one time or another. Some Christians struggle to engage with the Psalms because they are not as easy to apply as Paul’s letters or the Gospels, yet in the Psalms we learn much about God and ourselves. Psalm 30 is a prayer of thankfulness to God that invites us to give God praise just as the Psalmist did.
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I spent some time reflecting on Psalm 30, which is one of the “Thanksgiving Psalms”. Although the Psalms can be grouped into various genres, we should not assume that a Psalm fits only one genre. In fact, any given Psalm can have characteristics of multiple genres. Tremper Longman said, “We need to be flexible as we speak of a psalm’s genre”. [1] Longman lists seven genres of the Psalms which are the hymn, the lament, the thanksgiving psalm, the psalm of remembrance, the psalm of confidence, the wisdom psalm and the kingship psalm. [2] Psalm 30 is a thanksgiving Psalm which is evident as one approaches the text.
In this blog post, I will highlight the characteristics of a thanksgiving Psalm, reflect on the relationship between lament and thanksgiving, and invite the reader to intentionally express thankfulness to God using Psalm 30 as a model. These three objectives will help us better understand and apply Psalm 30 to our lives. Before we get into those objectives, it is appropriate to reflect on the Psalm itself.
An Overview of Psalm 30
Psalm 30 is one of the Psalms attributed to David according to the inscription above the text. That inscription also tells us that this Psalm was a song at the dedication of David’s house. It is not immediately clear that this is David’s own house or the house of the Lord, which his son and future King Solomon built, even though either could be the immediate context. 2 Samuel 5:11 describes Hiram, a king of Tyre, as sending messengers to David along with supplies to build David a house. Just two chapters later, we encounter the Davidic covenant passage in 2 Samuel 7 which is extremely important to understanding everything else that happened in David’s life and also in the story of God’s people. (Side note: The phrase house of David (הַבַּ֣יִת לְדָוִֽד) is theologically rich and intriguing. It is a phrase that comes to have Messianic significance for the covenant people of God).
Psalm 30 is divided into twelve verses in our English bibles. Derek Kidner observes three key segments or divisions of the Psalm.
The structure of the psalm is simple, its two outbursts of praise flanking the confession in verses 6–10 of overconfidence and its dire results. David’s unaffected delight at being restored shines through every word, quite undimmed by time. [3]
Kidner’s thought is expressed in this outline:
- David’s Rescue (vv.1-5)
- David’s Foolish Self Reliance and Boasting (vv.6-10)
- David’s Celebration of Yahweh (vv.11-12)
So that’s Psalm 30. Let’s consider what the characteristics of a Thanksgiving Psalm are and why Psalm 30 fits in that genre.
Characteristics of a Thanksgiving Psalm
One characteristic of a thanksgiving Psalm is that it is “a response to answered lament”. [4] It is often in our most painful moments that we are invited to count our blessings. Grief and lament naturally lend themselves to eventual thanksgiving, especially for the Christian. Not only is a thanksgiving Psalm a response to answered prayer or lament, it is also an invitation for others to join in and express thanks and praise to God.
It is often in our most painful moments that we are invited to count our blessings. Grief and lament naturally lend themselves to eventual thanksgiving, especially for the Christian.
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One writer noted that
The psalms of thanksgiving show the importance of giving thanks to God. They also demonstrate the active involvement of God in the life of the people. It is no surprise that thanksgiving dominates the NT in light of God’s greatest act of deliverance in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [5]
Thankfulness is a controlling perspective in thanksgiving psalms. A careful reading of Psalm 30 demonstrates that it aligns within the boundaries of what is expected in a thanksgiving psalm.
I want to reflect a bit further on the relationship between lament and thanksgiving as it relates to our passage.
The Relationship between Lament and Thanksgiving
Lament is a vital, yet ignored aspect of the life of faith. No doubt, Christians should not be a people who are always miserable since they have experienced God’s transformative work. Christians are characterized as a people of joy even on the worst days because joy is included in Paul’s listing of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-25. Even so, more attention needs to be devoted to the place lament has in the corporate worship of God’s covenant people.
Psalm 3:7 describes the despair David the psalmist felt before God delivered him.
7 LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, [and] I was troubled. [Psa 30:7 NKJV]
The Psalmist felt like God was ignoring him in his state of need. Have you ever felt that God was ignoring you when you needed Him most? If we are honest with ourselves, we have all doubted God’s goodness in times of suffering and trials. Not only have we doubted God’s goodness but we have also doubted his character in our constant questioning why He allows us to experience certain things.
We need to create more space for lament in the public worship of God’s people. All is not as it should be. The world is broken and the Gospel is the light that illuminates our hearts and minds to recognize that the world is being made whole again through Jesus our Messiah. Those who truly know God’s character and commitment to his children know that temporal suffering does not diminish God’s goodness, love, or protection. That’s where the interjection of thanksgiving erupts from the psalmist in our passage, right in the middle of his brokenness and pain.
The world is broken and the Gospel is the light that illuminates our hearts and minds to recognize that the world is being made whole again through Jesus our Messiah.
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The last two verses of the Psalm provide resolution for the conflict created in verse seven.
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. [Psa 30:11-12 NKJV]
The Psalmist expressed praise and thanks to God for answering his prayer and delivering him. The relationship between lament and thanksgiving is evident throughout Psalm 30. Psalm 30 is an exemplary model for us to follow in our prayers.
Psalm 30: A Model for Us
Psalm 30 began with a decision to praise God. Thanksgiving begins with a decision to honor God and recognize that nothing we have is credited to our goodness or worthiness. The Psalmist rejoiced that God “brought up my soul from the grave” and “kept me alive” (v.3). We can use Psalm 30 as a model prayer for us as we not only ask God for things but also seek to remember all that He has already done for us. Just like David, we must recognize the magnitude of our rescue from sin, repent from our foolish self-reliance and rejection of God, and rejoice in God’s work in our lives.
Conclusion
Whether you have had a great year or a difficult year, I hope the truths of Psalm 30 resonate with your heart and inspire you to give thanks to our Lord this holiday season. May we be resolved to express our thankfulness to God just as David did in Psalm 30. Give thanks to the Lord at the remembrance of His name. It may not change your situation but it will change your perspective. Even in our suffering, we have so very much to be thankful for.
May we be resolved to express our thankfulness to God just as David did in Psalm 30. Give thanks to the Lord at the remembrance of His name.
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[1] Tremper Longman III, How to Read the Psalms (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 23.
[2] Ibid.,24.
[3] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 146.
[4] Longman, 30.
[5] R. P. Belcher Jr., “Thanksgiving, Psalms Of,” ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity Press, 2008), 808.
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