Praying Through Psalm 30 (For Nepal)

TITLE: PRAYING THROUGH PSALM 30 (For Nepal)
SCRIPTURE: Ps 30
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: April 30th, 2015

"I will exalt you, LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me." (Ps 30:1)

(Photo Credit: BBC 2015)

O Lord, it's Nepal. What is happening there, You know best.
How do I exalt you in the midst of news like that? Can the wounded be lifted out of the depths?
Did the people of Nepal do something wrong to deserve all this disaster?
There is so much suffering and pain over there now. Lord, do something!
Let there be miracles in the midst of tragedy. Let there NOT the enemies of Nepal, wherever they are, gloat over the tragedy of Nepal.

"2Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. 3You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit." (Ps 30:2-3)

Lord, You are able to help. Bring forth your compassion through the efforts of the nations who have pledged help. Enable them to send their best. Bring them from afar. Enlarge the capacity of the Nepali infrastructure to cope with the increased demand. Encourage the rescuers with good news. Heal the hurt. Strengthen the rescuers. Spare more lives. Let there be survivors who would call out, cry out, and shout aloud their location. Prevent more people from going to the pit.

"4Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
5For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Ps 30:4-5)

Lord, let your people continue to praise you for you are Maker, Creator, and Sovereign God. Enable your people to serve you continually with fervour and hope. The anger of the earth that shook Nepal will never be bigger than your favor. The earthquake will never shake your eternal hope. The aftermaths will never be deeper than your deepest angst. The tragedy will never run farther than your love. For now, there will be much weeping. We look toward the hope of tomorrow where there will be much rejoicing.

"6When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
7Lord, when you favored me, you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed." (Ps 30:6-7)

Lord, this earthquake reminds me that earth's security is limited, earth's treasure is small, and earth's promises are temporal. You however, is are eternal security, abundant treasure, and everlasting promises. You are faithful and you extend your favor to anyone you choose to. You keep your covenant and promises to all mankind. When you are with us we shall stand. When you are not with us, we will eventually fall. Stand with us, Lord. Stay with us. Strengthen us. We need you.

"8To you, Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9“What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”" (Ps 30:8-10)

(Photo Credit: BBC, 2015)

Lord, we call out to you. Hear us. Hear our cries. Hear the pleas of the people of Nepal. Hear the hearts of the rescuers for mercy, for comfort, for precious lives. So many people have died. More are missing and presumed dead. The longer it drags, the worse it becomes. What is gained if the people who are buried, remained buried? What good is it for survivors to cry out but there is no one near to listen? What good is it for rescuers to know where to help but lack the tools to help? Can the many who are dying bring about praises to you? How can the people know of a faithful God in the midst of tragedy? Hear o Lord, Hear. Your Name is eternal and precious. Be the help of Nepal now!

"11You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever." (Ps 30:11-12)

Lord, let us stand in your promises, that it is not simply a singing of that wondrous hymn but a true fulfillment of your everlasting love. You will remove our sackcloth of mourning, to dress us with joy, to fill our hearts with praises. You will not be silent in the midst of tragedy. You will bring about goodness and health, help and hope, healing and love during this time. Lord, help us not to be distracted by questions of why but to respond with compassion of what and how.

THOUGHT: "It is not a question of God allowing or not allowing things to happen. It is part of living. Some things we do to ourselves, other things we do to each other. Our Father knows about every bird which falls to the ground, but He does not always prevent it from falling. What are we to learn from this? That our response to what happens is more important than what happens. Here is a mystery: one man’s experience drives him to curse God, while another man’s identical experience drives him to bless God. Your response to what happens is more important than what happens." (Chip Brogden)


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