Psalm 30 is the song of thanksgiving of someone who has survived a terrible crisis, the nature of which is ambiguous but clearly perilous; the psalmist states that their foes were rejoicing over them, that they were in the “Pit”. As we read on we learn that their cries for help were heard; God turned their “mourning into dancing” and clothed them with joy. The psalmist acknowledges that God is with us even in the depths of despair – there is hope.

Words from Psalm 30 have been taken as the title of a book published by the Episcopal Church in which eye-witnesses to 9/11 describe how they have sought to find meaning in their experiences.

We pray that atrocities such as 9/11 never happen again. But we also pray that, like the eye-witnesses on that day, anyone confronted by such horrors may find strength in the words of this psalm.

Listen to this week’s Start:Stop reflection at the link above.