In Psalm 30, David speaks of the tough times he had endured, the struggles he had faced. But at the beginning and end, he sounds a note of hope, announces a commitment to trust the Lord and assures all who will hear that he fully intends to live so that he might give praise and thanks to the Lord.

1. OUR COMMITMENT TO CONTINUAL PRAISE

   --When we commit to follow Christ, we commit ourselves to lives of continual praise and thanksgiving and state without conditions, "I will exalt...I will give thanks!"

   1. EXALTING THE LORD: Psalm 30:1

   2. THANKING THE LORD: Psalm 30:12 ; Psalm 30:7

      --The commitment we have made as a church is to look unto Him at all times, to recognize that regardless of what we think, what we see, what we feel, our commitment to praise and give thanks with joyful hearts is never revoked.

2. OUR CRY FOR MERCIFUL AID

   --Therefore, when we find ourselves going through times of pruning, times of chastisement, or even times in which we simply struggle with life, that we cry out to God for mercy, for help, rather than turning from Him and distrusting Him. Psalm 30:2, 10

   1. NOT TOO PROUD TO CRY FOR HELP: Psalm 30:6

      --During times of prosperity, we may attribute our success to ourselves (our wisdom, our discernment, our plans, our skills, our resources, etc.) and so develop proud hearts. Then instead of crying out for help, we try to fix our problems rather than fix our focus on Christ!

   2. NOT TOO DULL TO SENSE OUR NEEDS

      --What do we see, what can we understand, when we ask the Lord to show us what we need?

      1. Priorities Justified

         The order of our priorities must always be measured against the standard of God's priorities as revealed in His Word and not intent on self-promotion and preservation.

      2. Vision Clarified

         Understanding and clarifying the vision the Lord has given this congregation is necessary to keep us as a congregation from trying to impose some other church's or person's vision here and create frustration and confusion.

      3. Motives Purified

         Measuring not only the nature of the vision and priorities, but also examining our motivations for what we pursue is necessary as we seek what is best for the greater good of the entire ministry, not just for personal preferences or opinions; motives must always be pure and we need always to check our motives when engaging in ministry.

      4. Discord Nullified

         When we do not have pure motives, justifiable priorities, united vision, we will find that many among us will sow seeds of discord, questioning and criticizing everything and thus nullifying the ability of the body to make progress toward its calling from Christ.

      5. Sacrifice Exemplified

         The only way for any group of people to succeed collectively is for there to be a spirit of sacrifice and an attitude of servanthood where each one is willing to forsake personal matters for the sake of Christ and the good of His church; we need to be willing to surrender if we want to succeed in His calling.

      6. Love Personified

         The beginning of sacrificial service is the personification of love as we each put love into practice, impartially demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ in every relationship we form, in every attitude we adopt, and in every endeavor we pursue.

      7. Evangelism Intensified

         When our love for Christ is matched by our love for others, the intensity of our desire to introduce others to Him will increase proportionately and the need to be involved more personally, corporately and persistently in evangelism will become a greater priority and gain a higher level of visibility in our overall ministry.

      8. Christ Magnified

         As the other needs are addressed, the last need I mention will be met as Christ will be magnified as He Himself becomes far greater to us and means more to us than anything we think we are doing for Him.

      --So you see, in any of these areas, we could easily become discouraged and despondent realizing how much we are missing the mark.

      --If you allow yourself to dwell on the failures and focus on the weaknesses you will soon drift into dark nights of pessimism and gloomy thoughts of all that is not well with your soul!

3. OUR CALL TO GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE: Psalm 30:4
   1. CAPTIVE TO OUR NEEDS

      --When we become so trapped by the chains of our needs that we are held captive by them, we allow all awareness of the goodness and blessings of the Lord to go unheeded and our hearts to become ungrateful.

   2. GLAD FOR OUR PROSPERITY

      --What has the Lord done here at Providence in the past year to prosper us and give us reason to rejoice?

         A Few Milestones of Note:

      Twentieth Anniversary Celebration

      God has blessed us with twenty years of ministry together, an event celebrated with a missions gift that will allow us to build (or contribute to) four churches overseas.

      Church Plants Prosper

      Two Providence church plants continue to grow and enjoy the favor of the Lord.

      Racial Reconciliation Advances

      With regular meetings for prayer summits, joint worship services, fellowship, encouragement, and cooperative community projects.

      Building Debt Repaid

      On December 8, 1998 the last payment was made on the remaining balance of our indebtedness.

      Ministry Areas Broadened

      In Sunday School, the numbers of people involved in higher than ever; pastoral care and counseling provide greater care than ever; evangelistic outreach is still behind but enjoying progress; singles and college ministry continue to reach more and more people with the Word of God; so also with men and women's ministry; youth and children ministry; Missions efforts have expanded financially and in sending people from Providence.

      --In summary, the Lord has poured out His blessings upon us in unprecedented ways during the past year.

4. OUR COMFORT IN RESTORED FAVOR: Psalm 30:5

   --God comforts us during times of trouble by reminding us that our difficulties are short-lived, the night is brief, and joy always comes in the morning for those who know and trust the lord.

   1. SHORT ACCOUNTS OF ANGER

      --The Lord has no desire to remain angry with His children so we can keep short accounts with Him by confessing sin as soon as we recognize it and moving immediately to obey Him as soon as we understand what He wants.

      --Keep short accounts with the Lord and be assured that His anger will be only for a moment--no grudges, no condemnation, no fear that He is out to get us--only the time it takes to ask forgiveness or understand His will and do it!

   2. PROMISED RENEWAL OF FAVOR

      --His favor has been bestowed on all who come to Him in the name of Jesus Christ His Son. That favor is for a lifetime!

      --The sense of sorrow that leads to genuine repentance, the weeping that lasts for the night, gives way to a shout of joy in the morning as His mercies are once again found to be new!

   3. GUARANTEED RETURN OF JOY

      --When the mourning, the sorrow, the weeping, the sackcloth, cause our hearts to cry out of our need for the mercy of our Savior, He guarantees that all of that will be turned into the joy and gladness of the Lord!

      --Hearts filled with His joy and overflowing with His gladness cannot be restrained: Psalm 30:12

I will exalt Him! I will thank Him! I will sing His praise! I will shout His name with joy! ...all because He is greater than anything I could ever face in this world.

January 3, 1999
Providence
Baptist Church