CHANGE OF CLOTHES. By Pastor Fernando.

Scripture:
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Psalm 30:11-12

Observation:
David wrote this song to be sang at the dedication of the temple years after his death. David understood what it means to rebound from a pit of distress to a place of glory and redemption. He knows what it feels to mourn when life throws the most disappointing moments. He was ignored by his father, persecuted by his king and mentor, separated from his best friend, chastised by his family, hated by his first wife, criticized by the leaders of Israel, betrayed by his own son, taken advantage of by his friends, and attacked by many enemies. In spite of all these situations, David is able to experience change in his life. His life was full of ups and downs. More downs than ups. But when God restored his life and turned his mourning into joyful dancing, the few moments of peace and joy overwhelmed the years suffering and agony.

David here uses a powerful picture to illustrate what God does when He brings restoration--a change of clothes. Mourning clothes were dark, ragged, dusty, and shameful. Wearing those clothes were an expression in the outward of the inward pain and sorrow. David experienced God himself saying, ”Enough mourning. Time to change your clothes. Time to wear everlasting joy.“ This act of God caused David to explode in praise and worship before God with thanksgiving.

Application:
What a powerful word of hope we find in David’s psalm. We all wear mourning clothes at certain times in our life. Our pain and suffering becomes part of our lives and sometimes it seems that they are here to stay. Our spiritual closet is full of different fashion trends of mourning: Business casual mourning, aloha attire mourning, workout outfits in mourning, pajamas of mourning.... All our options seem to live in fear, agony, and pain. We learn how to cope and we become masters in handling our pain.

But God has a different plan. He wants to go through our spiritual closet and get rid of all the junk and mourning garments in our lives. His fashion trend is ”everlasting joy.“ He wants to clothe us with His joy and with restoration. However, being dressed and having someone getting our clothes requires a childlike attitude and a humble spirit. My son Daniel doesn’t want me to chose his clothes anymore. He thinks that he is old enough and independent enough to make those decisions for himself. We need to let God dress us up. We may not like what He wants us to wear... But the reality is that when we surrender to Him and to His ways, we will experience peace and joy like no other. So let’s get rid of the mourning clothes and let God dress us up with garments of joy.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for turning my mourning into dancing, for giving me beauty for ashes, for restoring my heart and for healing my pain. You have clothe me with garments of joy and I want to praise you and thank you for your mercy and grace over my life and my family. This morning I pray for your church and for all those that are still wearing garments of mourning... In your mercy, clothe them with everlasting joy! Bring hope and healing into their lives. Help them to walk in the healing process with dignity, humility, and trust in your love and power. May your glory shine in their lives! Amen!