Waiting is hard, especially when we feel like we've been stuck in despair for a long time. In Psalm 130, we hear the cry of someone who is drowning in despair but convinced that God's rescue is worth waiting for. If you've felt like giving up on waiting for God because the change you want hasn't come, let these words give voice to your cry and renew your hope.
Psalm 130
From the depths of despair, O Lord,
I call for your help.
2Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer.
3Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
4But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.
5I am counting on the Lord;
yes, I am counting on him.
I have put my hope in his word.
6I long for the Lord
more than sentries long for the dawn,
yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.
7O Israel, hope in the Lord;
for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows.
8He himself will redeem Israel
from every kind of sin.
Reflection Questions
- Where do you need God's help right now?
- Sometimes we might think God is ignoring our prayers because he is holding our sinfulness against us. But as the psalmist says in vv.3-4, God holds no such record, but offers forgiveness. Speak with God about how this makes you feel.
- What is it like to say to God "I am counting on you," "I long for you?" (Does it feel risky, like you're setting yourself up for disappointment? Does it feel relieving, to say out loud that it's not all on you?)
- What does hoping in the Lord look like for you in this season of your life?
Taking It Further This Week: Forgiveness
Psalm 130 speaks of God's forgiveness and nurtures hope for the day God will redeem his people from all sin, a day that has now been fulfilled in Jesus! This week's Lent challenge will encourage us to spend time cherishing this forgiveness offered to us by the King of kings and let it compel us to offer forgiveness to others. There are many of us who may find ourselves trapped in bitterness toward others that has stifled our relationships with them. Our hope is that this week's Lent challenge would help you begin to uproot those seeds of bitterness that you might experience the freedom of God's forgiveness offered to you and through you.
This week's section of The Lent Experience Participant's Journal will walk you through some steps for how you might engage in this time of forgiving others.
Scripture for Further Reflection
- 1 John 1:8-10
- Matthew 5:23-26; 6:12-15
- Luke 6:27-36
- Matthew 18:21-35
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