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Gustave Doré’s engraving of David standing crowned and bowed as he mourns Absalom

Psalm 30

What St Athanasius said to pray when you dedicate your home, and yourself, to God, in a letter from the 300s.

  • 12Verses
  • 1Situation

St Athanasius, Letter to Marcellinus

When to pray it

In the 300s, St Athanasius of Alexandria wrote a letter to his friend Marcellinus about praying the Psalms. In it he matched psalms to what people go through. This is what he gave this one for.

Something new has begun in your home, and you want to give it, and yourself, to God with thanks.

When you dedicate your house, both your soul, which receives the Lord, and the home you live in, give thanks and say Psalm 30, and Psalm 127 from the Songs of Ascents.

Letter to Marcellinus

For the same situation he also named Psalm 127.

Psalm 30:11

Where it turns

You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 verses, Berean Standard Bible

The whole psalm

Psalm 30

Its own heading A Psalm. A song for the dedication of the temple. Of David.

  1. 1I will exalt You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me.
  2. 2O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
  3. 3O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol; You spared me from descending into the Pit.
  4. 4Sing to the LORD, O you His saints, and praise His holy name.
  5. 5For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
  6. 6In prosperity I said, “I will never be shaken.”
  7. 7O LORD, You favored me; You made my mountain stand strong. When You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
  8. 8To You, O LORD, I called, and I begged my Lord for mercy:
  9. 9“What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?
  10. 10Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy; O LORD, be my helper.”
  11. 11You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
  12. 12that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.

Psalm 30 is 29 in the Greek numbering Athanasius used, which Orthodox Bibles and some older Catholic ones still follow.

When life is good, and you want to thank Him and grow

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All 53 situations, in one guide.

Your turn

Which Psalm are you living right now?

A few honest taps about your life right now, and the psalm an early Church Father gave for exactly that.

  • 3 min
  • 7 questions
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Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Athanasius’s advice is paraphrased from his Greek.