I wait for
the Lord, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6
And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6
Dear Congregation,
If
you ever feel that God is distant and does not understand humanity or that the
faith of the Old Testament was only one of ceremony and obedience. Then I hope
you will take the time to reread the Psalms and meditate on the humanity that
drips from so many of its verses. The inspired songs often display the human
condition in the light of this fallen and sinful world. I remember when I first
read them how struck I was with so many of their sentiments as if they were
written directly to me. Their ongoing relevance is once again a testimony to
their divine authorship and God’s perfect understanding of His creation.
In
Psalm 130 the struggle of the believer is on display. He understands God’s Word
and God’s promises. In his understanding he longs for them to come to pass.
There is both a comfort and a challenge in this passage. The challenge is for
us to have this same kind of longing and hope in the Lord’s Word. In our
business and our near sightedness we often long for things that are so trivial
that we cannot remember them a year later. Perhaps a weekend event, perhaps a
date, perhaps a vacation or a Christmas present. Is our greatest longing for
the fulfillment of God’s promises? For His Gospel to be effective, for evil to
be destroyed, for Salvation to come to the stranger and the loved one? The Psalmist waits for the
Lord’s deliverance more than the daily, more than the trivial. Night time is
still intimidating today. We are often afraid to go out to certain areas or
places when it is dark. In ancient times this was all the more intimidating. Imagine
how dark the earth was at night. Only the moon and stars and a flickering oil
lamp or candle for light. Very little could be done at night and an enemy
seemingly had the advantage. In addition, without modern clocks it was harder
to tell just how far away daylight was. There was longing for daylight and
morning to a degree we cannot easily understand. Yet the longing for God’s
working was greater.
There
remains great comfort in the truth that morning does come. We wait and hope and
trust, but like the dawn, God always delivers according to His will. He is
always faithful to His promises. If you are in darkness right now and are
waiting and wondering if there will be a dawn, be assured that God’s
deliverance is certain. Verses seven and eight talk about God’s abundant
redemption and the certainty of it. If you are a Christian, you have that
abundant redemption. You have an eternity in the heavens and your morning will
come in the form of heaven as a certainty even if your earthly trial does not pass
now. We look to the eternal morning for rest and peace. We look to God’s Word
for direction, strength, and certainty. We hope, and are not disappointed, for
Christ is the all sufficient savior who delivered us and has given us more than
we know or deserve. If you wait on the Lord you will not be disappointed.
In Christ,
Pastor Basile
