Psalm 130

A Song of Ascents.

The song of Ascents were the songs that Israelites would sing as they made their way to Jerusalem for one of the main festivals. Jerusalem sits on a higher elevation, so there was a climb, an ascent to reach the city.

Deep cries

My Soul Waits for the Lord
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If I’m honest, I only pray this way sometimes. Most of the time, in my pride and false belief in my self-sufficiency, my prayers are shallow. It is usually when life punches me in the face, when there’s something I know I can’t handle, that I cry out from the depths of my soul to God. It seems backwards, but I truly love looking back on seasons where I have nothing but prayer left, when I truly understand that I need God’s mercy. In those seasons, there is a peace that “passes all understanding,” because it is not man-made peace. When I actually taste and see the goodness of God Almighty and grasp the mercy he has shown me, I feel a relief in my bones. Lord forgive me for trading that in for manufactured peace.

We do not deserve forgiveness

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

These verses are simple: if our sins were displayed on a chalkboard in front of a jury (the chalkboard wouldn’t fit in the courtroom) we would be unanimously convicted. Who could stand?

BUT!

With God there IS forgiveness!

Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Waiting like your life depends on it

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

The only “night watch” I’ve had in my life was helping take care of my children when they were infants. During those tough nights, with no sleep, and lots of inconsolable crying, I would stare at the clock. I would wish the hands could move quicker, that the sun would come up so I wouldn’t be alone in the difficulty.

I can only imagine what the night watchmen experienced during wartime. They were responsible for protecting and warning the rest of the sleeping troops if an enemy was near. Up all night, praying that nothing would happen, but on high alert that it was very possible. Scared, anxious, nervous, desperate for the sun to come up so that they would not be alone in the fight.

This is how the psalmist describes waiting for the Lord. This is the posture of hoping in his word that I must take. This is how I should pray, as one with no other hope but in God!

Sinned too much? Nope

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

Our Lord operates differently than we do. I’ve read the Bible a lot, and I still need reminding/convincing that God is not like man. That my God loves different, that he forgives different, that he redeems different. With my God there is steadfast love. Love that knew what it was getting into. All my sins were in the future when Christ became them on the cross. If you were Jesus, and you died for the sins of the elect, how mad would you be if they were able to out-sin and undo the work you did on the cross? Exactly.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

In God there is plentiful redemption. The blood of Christ is powerful enough for all of my sins and all our combined sins.

1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

Wait for Him

Pray from the depths of your soul.

Pray like you need mercy.

Pray like you’re not in control.

Pray with a fear and reverence for God our Father.

Wait like the watchmen.

Hope in the Lord and His word.

Pray like you believe He will never give up on you.