Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Tuesday June 30, Psalm 30:5b

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

I've finished this month with Psalm 30 on June 30. It is a fitting Psalm for me since yesterday I had another 6-month bladder test (no fun) to see if I am still cancer free. By the way, Praise God, I am still cancer free!

This is an interesting Psalm, because when I read it, it seems to show a few aspects of sorrow and joy. First, verse 1: "I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me." This seems to pertain to perseverance from enemies. I assume that "drawn up" is probably referring to an image of being in a pit or something, and the Lord delivering David from it.

Another aspect is from v3: "O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit." This shows me that the Lord delivered him from where his enemies will end up. All who believe have been delivered out of that darkness and into His glorious light by His glorious grace.

In verse 5, it seems more like being delivered from personal, self-inflicted difficulties after being disciplined by the Lord: "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

The sense of the "b" portion can fit all trials, for we who are His children have known and experienced that no matter the circumstance, that He always brings joy, and we look for the ultimate joy when we will see Him face to face.

We know that soon "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praises and not be silent" (11-12).

Whether our trials are internal or external, there is some lesson in all of them. Something that will help us see that He will always make beauty from the ashes of our sinful lives, and teach us to grow into mature believers, not as those who have no hope.

Our pastor Sunday reminded us of this through the first chapter of James: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (v2-4).

And one final thing. To see David's purpose for living. It was not to save his skin: "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness.?" (9)

For once our mortal lives end, we can no longer proclaim the salvation and glory of God to those who will fall into the eternal pit. While we are here, we are His "ambassadors". Our circle of family, friends, and acquaintances can still hear from us the glories of the Almighty God who saved us, and point them to the Way of Light.

This is our "raison d'etre". We have an eternity of rest and joy. In the meantime, we can proclaim the wonders of our Savior in a dying, lost world while there is still hope. It closes as we should close every morning prayer:

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing: you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!" (11-12).

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Memory Helps

"Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning."

A very simple verse, and a promise that always rings true. Keep this in mind during every trial you may go through before you enter the Kingdom of God. It's easy to remember this by picturing yourself weeping at night and joyful in the morning.

Linking verse numbers:

To link the numbers, you need a "word picture" that links the passage to the book, chapter, and verse number: Psalm 30. I rely on the phonetic alphabet as well as other pictures to modify the system to work well for me. First, I use a harp to represent Psalms, so every "Psalm" picture would contain a harp in some way.

Secondly, I have a "memory character" that I use for every verse number that never changes so I don't confuse it with any other picture. For the number 5 I use my buddy Lee. For 30, I'll use the word "MeSS", because M=3 and S or Z=0. We remember 3=M by turning the 3 face down so it looks like an "M", and we remember 0 = S or Z because, well, Zero begins with a Z. Vowels are always fillers to make words.

So Lee has made a real mess of his house tonight, and is weeping, strumming a dirge on his harp in mourning. He falls asleep and in the mourning he sees with great joy that the Mess has been miraculously cleaned and now plays a joyful tune on his harp. (if I want to reinforce Lee as 5, I can picture him with large "5-fingered" hands as well). This way I can link the verse to Psalm 30:5 (harp, mess, Lee).