Psalm 30 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child."

Psalm 30
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.
Resurrection

1 I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
3 O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”
7 O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8 To You, O LORD, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

10 “Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

The Church reflects on Christ's Resurrection and our own rescue from the grave⁵⁶. Jesus cried out for help in the Garden of Olives⁵⁷ and God raised Him up after His Crucifixion and foiled His enemies (the devil). He purchased for us forgiveness, healing, and eternal life (brought us up from Sheol) (30:1-5). Although in our pride we ascribe our success to our own efforts, we (dismayed) soon learn that our gain is short lived without God's constant assistance (hid His face). And what good is success (profit) if in attaining it we lose our souls (turn to dust)? So we come before Him on bended knee (in supplication): revive us, Lord, for how can we worship You (declare Your faithfulness)⁵⁸ if we are cast down (in the pit) (30:6-9)? And the Lord answered our prayers and rescued us from mortal sin and death (mourning) through the Resurrection of His Son. And with deep gratitude and great joy we will praise Him forever because of it (30:10-12).

Prayer for life: Dear Lord, You wept in the Garden of Olives as You saw in Your mind's eye all the abortions that would take place in our sinful world. Forgive us, Lord, and help us as a nation to ban once and for all this barbaric murder of innocent children. Console those who mourn their loss. Take pity on those who, blinded by pride, selfishness and ignorance of Your ways, callously discard future generations of God's children. Take away their stony hearts, O Lord, and place within them a new heart filled with love and compassion for the born and the unborn. Let our love for each other console Jesus as He prays for us in the Garden and let us praise Him for His unending patience and forbearance. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

⁵⁶The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 700. Print.
⁵⁷Reardon, Patrick. Christ in the Psalms. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2000. 58. Print.
⁵⁸The Psalms New International Version. St. Joseph CATHOLIC Edition. New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Corporation, 1996. 82. Print.

Scripture (Psalms 25-36) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.