In the writing of Psalm 30 David has been delivered from Absalom.  There has been the gathering of materials for the building of a house.  In verses 1-5 David has rejoiced in these beginning days of 40 years of peace and rest.

Let us turn our attention this week to verses 6-7, which say, “And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.”

It was during this time of peace and rest that David entered into his greatest time of temptation.  Many vessels flounder and lose their way while in calm waters.  There is no temptation as bad as tranquility.  Richard Gilpin said, “The two greatest times of temptation are when God has called upon us for a special service or laid upon you a special favor.”  It is during these times that Satan comes with his greatest temptation.

The word ‘prosperity’ in verse 6 means peace, tranquility arising from an affluent prosperous condition.  I fear the reference to this prosperity as “…my prosperity…”.  I am reminded of our son getting on to his son for referring to things as ‘mine’.  My son said that it teaches him self-abasement and that nothing in this world is ours.  I thought it silly, but after a meditation upon these verses I thank the Lord for this consistent discipline of my son even in the mundane language of this little one.

Let us never have the confidence of continual stability in this world.  Let us remember this powerful statement, “Never say never”. (Vs. 6 “…I shall never be moved.”)

I can now see plainly why Solomon prayed, ‘Lord let me not be poor neither let me be rich’.  If I am poor I may be prone to deny you and if I am rich I may be prone to forsake you.  Success can often release an intoxicating fume of pride into our brains that causes us to become but fools.

David does mention the Lord’s ‘favour’ in verse 7 but he says God showed it to ‘my mountain’.  David feels once again that this high and lofty place he has reached has something to do with his own doings.  Nothing stands strong unless it stands alone upon the Lord.  “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”  If it is our mountain of success it is sinking sand and will soon be removed from its place of stability.

God’s response to David’s word ‘my’ is to hide His face from him.  When God hides His face, David finds himself troubled.  Prosperity can bring confidence, confidence may bring carelessness, and carelessness will bring the withdrawal of God’s presence.  There is no greater trouble for the child of God than to sense that God has turned away from us.  The word ‘trouble’ means to be sorely terrified.  Thomas Brooks said the sunflower folds up and droops its face when the sun is clouded or goes down.  Let us claim no ownership to anything in this world that we may bask in the ‘Son-Shine’ of the world to come.