Lifted Up: Finding Hope in the Psalms

Each school day at Nowra Anglican College begins with a time of Devotion—a moment for staff to pause, reflect, and support one another in faith. Twice a week, team members take turns sharing a passage from the Bible to inspire and uplift their colleagues. Recently, we’ve been exploring the Psalms together. Late last term, Mr Daniel Toole shared a powerful reflection on Psalm 30. We hope his words offer you the same encouragement and challenge they gave us.

Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.

4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

A Reflection from Mr Daniel Toole

"David’s path to becoming King of Israel was far from straightforward. As the youngest of his brothers, he wasn’t even considered worthy enough by his own father to be presented to the prophet Samuel when Samuel came in search of the one God had chosen to lead Israel. Later, David was pursued by King Saul, who sought to take his life, forcing David to flee into the wilderness. Even after being anointed as king, David made significant mistakes—serious failures that were met with consequences from God. And yet, in the midst of this messy and often painful journey, David continued to worship. He praised God openly and honestly, as we see in the Psalms.

It’s easy to offer praise when things are going well. It’s like hearing someone say they loved school—often they were high-achieving, popular, and confident. Of course it was easy to enjoy school when the experience was affirming.

In contrast, I remember joining my first rugby team in Year 7. We were consistently and comprehensively beaten. Week after week, we lost—badly. But our coach maintained a remarkably positive attitude and constantly encouraged us to keep showing up and keep improving. If this were a typical story, I’d tell you we eventually trained harder, improved, and won a game. But we didn’t. We lost every single match that year. What we did do was keep turning up. We got bruised, battered, and humbled—but we grew. My mum, with her usual dry humour, would tell us how hilariously hopeless we were. Yet over time, we improved. New players joined, others left, and eventually, we won a few games. And it felt amazing—because we knew what it was to lose.

If we only ever praise God when life is going well—or worse, ignore Him in good times and only cry out when we need rescuing—how deep is our relationship really?

All of us experience challenges that shape us. Life has a way of testing us deeply, and some of those experiences can feel breaking. But God does not walk away during those times. He never throws up His hands and says, “This one’s too hard—I hope it gets better for you.” No. He’s in the trenches with us. Always. We might not understand the outcomes, and they might not be what we want, but His presence and support never waver. Our God is, in many ways, the champion of lost causes.

As Keiran and I prepare to watch another Wallabies season (knowing full well that New Zealand will likely beat us again), we’ll still be shouting at the screen with passion and hope. God is like that—He knows our hearts, our struggles, and even our failures. He knows some of us will walk away from Him—and yet, He still remains, cheering us on, walking beside us through every storm. He is worthy of our worship and praise—not just when life is easy, but especially when it is not.

Many of our students face daily struggles—at school, at home, and within themselves. Today, I want to challenge you to be a champion for one of those students. Support someone who needs a steady presence. They might not thank you, they might not even respond positively—but in time, they will know that you stood by them. And in doing so, we reflect what God does for us every day."