Praise Him in My Dismay
God Hides – Part 1

Scripture Reading: Psalm 30:1-11

Key Verse: Psalm 30:7

O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

As he does many times, the psalmist challenges God’s people to “sing to the Lord” and “praise His holy name” (vs. 1).  That is easy to do when life is going along as we would want.  However, all of us know that singing to the Lord is not so easy when life seems to turn on us, causing us pain.  In verse seven the psalmist writes that God hid His face from him.

Some commentators believe that David was remembering the time when his world was turned upside down.  Life for David was in a season of great prosperity and security, which verse seven indicates: “O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm.”  However, one day a rebellion broke out against David.  What made this day worse was the fact that Absalom, David’s son, led the revolt.  Thus, David finishes verse seven with the words: “…but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.”

Can you relate to David’s song?  Life was going along pretty good, then, out of nowhere, your world was turned upside down!  Pain and suffering came upon you, either physically or mentally.  Your heart ached and it felt like God was hiding from you!  In one sense, God does hide from us in that He allows us those times of emotional turmoil where we can’t feel or sense His presence.  (Continued)

Father, when I can’t see you or sense you, grant me strength and courage to trust that you are still a very present help for me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.