Psalm 30 – Can God’s love really turn mourning into dancing?

There’s a song that says God’s love can turn mourning into dancing. Is that really true? In fact, the song even says, “again”? Is that for real? Where does that idea come from?

Is that sunset image enough to change you from mourning to dancing?

What about with the heart and the words “God’s Love”?

No? Still not enough?

Maybe it is for some of you. The image may stir up the idea of what’s behind it.

Especially if you know where “mourning into dancing” comes from.

I mean, it is kind of odd, isn’t it? How can we go from being very sad over something, to the point of being in mourning – to all of a sudden doing a happy dance?

Well, let’s look at Psalm 30, then we’ll see about that mourning into dancing thing.

Psalm 30 

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. 

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

Ps 30:2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help 
and you healed me. 

Ps 30:3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; 
you spared me from going down into the pit. 

Ps 30:4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; 
praise his holy name. 

Ps 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, 
but his favor lasts a lifetime; 
weeping may remain for a night, 
but rejoicing comes in the morning. 

Ps 30:6 When I felt secure, I said, 
“I will never be shaken.” 

Ps 30:7 O LORD, when you favored me, 
you made my mountain stand firm; 
but when you hid your face, 
I was dismayed. 

Ps 30:8 To you, O LORD, I called; 
to the Lord I cried for mercy: 

Ps 30:9 “What gain is there in my destruction, 
in my going down into the pit? 
Will the dust praise you? 
Will it proclaim your faithfulness? 

Ps 30:10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; 
O LORD, be my help.” 

Ps 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; 
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 

Ps 30:12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. 
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Background on Psalm 30

A Litany of Uplifting Contrasts

From time to time in these studies I have pointed out that there are various types of psalms—the scholars call them genres—and that it is often helpful to remember the type one is dealing with in a specific psalm. Psalm 30 is a thanksgiving psalm. However, thanksgiving psalms are closely related to psalms of lament, since thanksgiving psalms are usually expressions of praise to God for having heard a lament. In this psalm, some of the words of the prior and presupposed lament are preserved in verses 9 and 10. Thanksgiving psalms are also related to hymns, another genre, since the psalmist’s thanksgiving usually takes the form of sung praise.

The title of this psalm identifies it as being “for the dedication of the temple” (actually, “for the house”). This does not help us understand it very much, although there has been a great deal of speculation as to what “house” might refer to.

What is helpful is to realize that this is a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from a great sickness, which becomes evident as we read through it. Sometimes language like this occurs in less explicit psalms, and we find ourselves asking whether the psalm is talking about real sickness or sickness that is somehow symbolic. We wonder whether it is referring to spiritual sickness, depression, or even danger from enemies.

There is no such question here. It is clear that David had been sick enough to die. But God had rescued him, bringing him up from what he describes as “the depths,” “the grave,” or “the pit.” Now, having been rescued, he not only praises God himself but also calls on others of the Lord’s people to join him, on the ground that his experience is common to God’s saints. This leads to the best-known and most frequently quoted verse of the psalm, verse 5:

For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

From a literary point of view, the most striking feature of Psalm 30 is its remarkable sets of contrasts, which is also probably the most helpful way to approach it. I highlight the four main ones in this study, but each of these contains further contrasts within as elaborations of the central idea. I count more than a dozen in all.  ¹Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary (pp. 261–262). Baker Books.

Psalm 30 – incredible contrasts

The background excerpt went into, among other things, the constant string of contrasts in this Psalm. It kind of gets summarized in verse 30:

Ps 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

The word we read as wailing is where mourning comes from in the title. Mourning is also the English word used in the KJV, NKJV, NASB, and other translations of the Bible.

Mourning Into Dancing is also the title of a song by Tommy Walker. It’s not all that long, in terms of the word count. But the message – it’s a good one. And it goes back to / comes from this Psalm. I’ve heard it live with Tommy Walker and have his CD with it. If you don’t know the song, you’ll probably find it on YouTube somewhere.

In any case, here are the lyrics to Mourning Into Dancing: ²https://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/tommywalker71984/mourningintodancing3145276.html

(Verse)
Where there once was only hurt
He gave His healing hand
Where there once was only pain
He brought comfort like a friend.

I feel the sweetness of His love
Piercing my darkness,
I see the bright and morning sun
As it ushers in His joyful gladness!

(Chorus)
He’s turned my mourning into dancing again
He’s lifted my sorrows, I can’t stay silent
I must sing for His joy has come.

(Bridge)
His anger lasts for a moment in time
But His favor is here and will be on me
For all my lifetime!

You can see now that it does come from Psalm 30.

For non-believers, this seems impossible. And in fact, for them it is.

However, for believers, it’s totally possible. Even the “again” part. I can say that from my own experience.

How can this be?

Christians often talk about believing in God. But it’s more than that.

Beyond believing in God – we have to believe God. In our hearts, we have to believe that God tells us the truth.

Then, that brings us to a point where we also trust God.

How did God’s love turn my mourning into dancing?

My own personal “again” came when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Because of a short book by John Piper, titled Don’t Waste Your Cancer, I began a series with the same name. And the same purpose – to help others who may have the same kind of experience – whether it be cancer or something else.

I was hoping it would be a short series. It’s been going on for almost four years, as of this writing. The series is getting longer.

It’s my story of going through the ups and downs, but also of hanging on to God’s love, peace, and joy.

Not that it was easy – but of the struggles to do that as well as deal with the cancer.

It’s the story of how God has turned what could have been incredible depression/mourning – into peace and joy/dancing.

I’m not like David. I can’t see me out in the streets dancing for joy. For me, just being able to feel, talk about, and write about the peace and joy I have in the midst of all this – that’s more than enough to overcome my mourning.

Conclusion – Psalm 30 – Can God’s love really turn mourning into dancing?

Absolutely. God’s love really can turn mourning into dancing. That is, into whatever “dancing” is for each of us.

But we do have to believe it.

I always get a bit upset when someone says God will heal us if we have enough faith. I’m sorry, but that’s just not the case. God’s promise to us isn’t healing and getting rid of all our problems. No. God’s promise to us is that He’ll be with us throughout our problems.

If our concept of dancing is that we only dance when everything is good with our life here on this earth, then we’re not going to do a lot of dancing.

But you know, we hate to admit, even to ourselves, when things aren’t going well. If we can’t do that, how are we going to ask God for help? How are we going to acknowledge His help? And how can we ever feel His joy and peace if we’re too busy covering our eyes to what’s going on in our lives in this fallen world?

We can’t do any of those things. Not unless we trust God enough to let Him in. Then, we can dance, because we can acknowledge that we are mourning, and that God can and will turn that mourning into dancing.

---

sunset AI image by Bing DALL-E

words and frame added

---

Footnotes

• 1
  Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary (pp. 261–262). Baker Books.
• 2
  https://www.stlyrics.com/songs/t/tommywalker71984/mourningintodancing3145276.html