New: 3 March 2025
Beauty for Ashes,
Joy after Sorrow
Psalm 30
... to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...
Isaiah 61:3 NKJV
Divine Exchanges
Life can be tough, often unfair and sometimes painful. How are we to handle life? Some people's strategy to cope with the pain and suffering of life is to become tough, unfair and inflict their pain on others. This makes the situation worse, not better. People who live their lives from a bitter soul and resentful attitude spread the poison of bitterness and resentfulness into a world that is actually in need of forgiveness and healing. Only light can expel the darkness. There is a better way to handle life's injustice and suffering—through divine exchanges!
The prophet spoke of God's beauty, joy and happiness in exchange for ashes, mourning and heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). Ashes is what you have left once everything has burned down. Life can be like that—all your dreams are gone, burned up, and all you have left is the ashes of what you imagined your life would be. A sad reminder of broken dreams. And if it wasn't your fault that the fire burned your dreams to ashes, it is even more difficult to handle. The temptation to become bitter and resentful is ever lurking at the door of our minds and hearts. Can we resist it? Life can rob us of our joy; and depression weighs us down. We procrastinate because we feel lost, yet can't get up. We know what is right, but lack the strength to do it. What can be done?
The divine exchanges promised by God offer us the alternative to bitterness and resentfulness. God promises to restore the beauty others sought to discard; He has joy instead of sadness; we can find happiness in praising God and shake off depression and anxiety. The words of these divine exchanges were read by Jesus, who then stated that these find fulfilment in Him (Luke 4:16-21). He is the One who was anointed by God's Spirit to proclaim good news to the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, liberty for the captives, recovery of sight for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. With the arrival of God's kingdom, Jesus proclaimed that the poor in spirit (the humble) would inherit it, that there would be comfort for those who mourn, and that the meek would inherit the earth; He spoke of the blessings for those who huger for righteousness and those who extend mercy to others; the pure in heart would see God and the peacemakers would be called sons of God; even those who are being persecuted would be those who inherit the eternal, unshakable kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3-10). These are divine exchanges! Life in God's kingdom offers us a real alternative in life—and the life to come.
Praising God for His Goodness
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel (2 Samuel 23:1), praised God for His goodness because God had lifted him up, out of the depths of enemy oppression (Psalm 30:1). God had spared his life and given him healing (vv 2-3). This was a divine exchange: the enemy sought to kill and bury him, God raised him up and saved his life. David praised God's holy Name and encouraged others to do so, too (v 4). The troubles of life, and sometimes even God's anger, last 'only a moment,' yet 'His favour lasts a lifetime'; 'weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning' (v 5). The bad times are short in comparison to God's goodness. David had his fair share of troubles, injustice and suffering, yet he knew God was good and that He would be good to him. He praised God for His goodness—and so should we.
We should praise God for His goodness even when things are difficult. There is power in praise, as it inspires hope and lifts our head up from all the troubles of life unto the One who can come and turn things around. That is what David experienced time and time again, and the same God who was faithful to him, will be faithful to us. We can trust God and praise Him for His goodness. The art of life is not just in being happy when everything is good; it is praising God when things are tough—and it prevents us from becoming resentful and bitter. We endure the night of weeping, knowing there will be joy in the morning. It is dark during the night, but the sunrise will lighten life up again. There will be a better tomorrow.
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God,
I will praise you forever.
Psalm 30:11-12 NIV
Praising God in all Circumstances
God can turn our sorrowful crying into joyful dancing (Psalm 30:11). The key is to endure the night. We must learn to praise God in all circumstances and not allow bad experiences to make us silent. Our hearts must continue to sing His praises (v 12). God removed the sackcloth from David, and exchanged it with a garment of joy. Sackcloth speaks of mourning in repentance over our own sin and moral failure. In the ancient world, when tragedy hit people or if they did terribly wrong, they would remove their nice clothes and wear ragged clothes instead. It was an outward sign of an inner condition. David knew the bitterness of weeping over his own sin. Yet he also knew that God was a forgiving God (e.g., Psalm 51; E31) and that joy can return to the one who is honest in repentance (Psalm 32; E32). God's anger that lasts for a moment (Psalm 30:5a) is to be understood in the context of committing sins that require a just consequence. Yet there is God's favour that forgives and gives us a new chance in life. The weeping over our sins may indeed last a night, but God and His forgiveness, restores rejoicing (v 5b). We must always be genuine before God and praise Him in all circumstances.
The psalmist knew that God was the source of his life, prosperity and wellbeing (vv 6-7). When God hid His face, he become dismayed for it was God who made him stand firm in life. Many people forget God's goodness when things are well. They stop being grateful for all the good things God has given them. This is not a good attitude and even a dangerous place to be in. A false sense of confidence apart from God can lead to a downfall—if it's pride. We should have an attitude of humility and gratitude before God and praise Him at all times and in all circumstances (Psalm 34; E7). We don't just turn to God when things are bad and we need His help, and then forget about Him. We trust Him at all times and praise Him in all circumstances. When we cry to God for mercy, God will be merciful to us; He is our help and hears our prayers (Psalm 30:8-10). So it is not wrong to call on God when we need help—we should call on Him, by all means. It is wrong to only seek God when we need help and otherwise live our own lives with little thought of God. If we want to experience God's blessing and the divine exchanges He has for us, let us praise Him at all times and in all circumstances. We can find joy in everything. In God's presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).