This week we focus on the Lenten theme of waiting and trusting.
Words of Reflection
Waiting is hard.
We say this often, but usually it’s in a very low-stakes context—waiting in line at the supermarket, waiting for an important email, waiting for the weekend to start—but this kind of waiting isn’t really hard at all. That’s because there are other kinds of waiting that can put that long line at the supermarket into perspective. Waiting to hear from the doctor for test results…waiting for a decision after a job interview…waiting for news that a loved one is safe…compared to these, many of our typical experiences of delay prove to be nothing.
And then there is the very unique experience known to those who believe the promises of God: waiting for those promises to be made manifest in your specific situation. When we are waiting for God, it can be the most difficult waiting of all.
Psalm 130 is one of the “songs of ascent,” which may have been sung by Jewish pilgrims making their way to the temple in Jerusalem for one of the feast days, like the Passover which Jesus was preparing for in his final days. Biblical scholars also put it in the category of “penitential psalms” due to the powerful way it expresses sorrow for sin. It seems that as the pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem, singing their praise and declarations of God’s character and promises, they would also engage in the same kind of self-examination we are called to undertake during Lent.
As the psalmist looks into their soul, what they see tempts them to despair:
“Out of the depths I cry to you,
Lord; Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.”—Psalm 130:1-2 (NIV)
Can you hear the anguish and the pleading in these words? The psalmist is waiting for redemption. They know the depth of their sin and they recognize their need for mercy. When our waiting brings us to such painful self-realization, the temptation to despair is great. The writer of Psalm 130 compares it to the image of a weary watchman who has been holding vigil for the long, dark night and eagerly awaits the first break of dawn that will signal the end of his duties:
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.”—Psalm 130:5-6 (NIV)
It is interesting that in verse 7 the language of Psalm 130 shifts. No longer singing about their own particular needs, the psalmist’s words become a call to all of God’s people:
“Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.”—Psalm 130:7-8 (NIV)
After making their own declaration of trust in verse 5, the psalmist now calls all of God’s children to hold tight to the promises of God. Even in the darkness of the night watch, even when those promises seem far off, do not give in to despair. The goodness of God is a certainty, the actions of God will prove faithful and true when seen in morning’s light.
These are good words for us during Lent. In these days of self-reflection and brutal honesty with ourselves, we might very well find ourselves in “the depths,” especially if we are facing situations in life where it seems that God is not moving in the ways we so desperately want to see. As we offer to God during Lent our sin and our stubborn self-will, the invitation comes to us to offer into his hands something else as well:
Our waiting.
Scripture for Meditation:
For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
—Psalm 62:5-8 (NRSV)
Song: Out of the Depths
Out of the depths O Lord I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I'd never stand again
But I see mercy in Your handsSo more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I'll put my trust
When the harvest time is over
And I still see no fruit
I will wait I will wait
For YouThe secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don't change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never failSo more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I'll put my trust
When the harvest time is over
And I still see no fruit
I will wait I will waitMore than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I'll put my trust
When the harvest time is over
And I still see no fruit
I will wait I will wait
For YouI’ll wait for You, I'll wait for You Lord
I'll wait for You, I will wait for You Lord
Wait for YouAnd more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You for You
And when my fears come with no warning
I will trust for You
Faithful You are faithfulIn every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail
Bob Kauflin
© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise
Questions for Contemplation:
Are you in a season of waiting for God right now? What are you waiting for? How can you apply the words of Psalm 130 to your own situation?
The writer of Psalm 130 declares in verse 5: “I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word.” What is the relationship between hope and the word of God? How has God’s word spoken to you in seasons of waiting? Spend some time in prayer giving thanks to God for his words of comfort and hope.
Read and consider this quote about waiting for God from Betsy Childs Howard. Does it ring true for you? What about these words most stands out to you?
“Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn't waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son.” (from “Seasons of Waiting: Walking by Faith When Dreams Are Delayed”)