December 7, 2016

SONGS OF PRAISE

Psalms 30:11-12 (29:12-13 LXX)

You turned my lamentation into dancing for me;
You tore up my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
That my glory may sing praise to You,
And not be pierced with sadness;
O Lord my God, I shall give thanks to You forever.

Encouraging Words

We so often confuse consequences with punishment in our relationship with our Lord. We still live in a physical world, even though the hearts and minds of those who follow Christ have been transformed to try to live in the spiritual world, And since we are still living in a fallen state and a fallen world we still choose to sin. It is the sin that we commit that brings consequences into our lives. Every action taken, or not taken, still has its results. It is these consequences that wake us up to the fact that we have transgressed against our Lord and if we are striving to be close to Him that drive us to a state of lamenting over our sin and mourning for the rift that we have created between God and ourselves. However, as the psalmist proclaims, our loving and merciful Father is there to turn our lamenting into dancing, our sackcloth of mourning into gladness, and our piercing sadness into songs of praise. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me, the sinner?