Psalms
Chapter 30
Lord, I Asked for Your Help and You Healed Me
I extol you, O Lord, for you have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me.
The Lord, my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
Lord, you have brought me up from the grave, you gave me life when I was going to the pit.
Sing to the Lord, O you, his saints, give thanks and praise to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a little while,and his kindness all through life.Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.
Once in my prosperity, I said: “I shall not be troubled.”
Yet it was you, O Lord, who made me stand on the rock; as soon as you hid your face, I wavered!
To you, O Lord, I called; to you, I begged for mercy:
“What good would there be in my destruction, in my going down to the pit? Would my dust give you praise?Would it prove your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; O Lord, be my protector.”
But now, you have turned my mourning into rejoicing; you have taken off my sackcloth and wrapped me in the garments of gladness.
And so my soul, no longer silent, now sings praise without ceasing. O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
Commentaries
30
‘The devil was sick, the devil, a monk would be. The devil was, well, a monk, was he.’ This is said of those who make pious resolutions during sickness or danger but forget them once the danger is past and health is regained. There is some truth to this. Good health can carry an unconscious arrogance and sometimes bring a false sense of invincibility. Sickness opens our eyes. We reflect on our lives and become frightened by the selfishness of our motives. Our behavior may not improve after recovery, but at least we may feel grateful for being saved in our prayers. However, the real sickness is of the mind and soul, and if we ask God to heal us, the dawn will break.
Nothing is certain in this life. The Lord alternates between joys and sorrows, using them to strengthen our faith according to our needs. Sometimes, we are caught off guard: trials discourage us as if God no longer exists, and when God shows us favors, we struggle to believe they are real.
Those who know they are surrounded by illness and face the threat of death can pray with this psalm.