Waiting On The Lord

Psalm 130

Have you ever felt so deep in some sort of trouble, that even with a long extension ladder you just could never climb out?  The author of this psalm had gotten so deep into some sort of trouble that he was in distress.  The psalmist knew that his troubles were so deep that only the Lord could help him, and so he cried out to Him from the depths of the pit he was in (vs. 1 - 2).  If we find ourselves in a mess and are in despair, that is when we need God the most.

Sometimes the problems we find ourselves in are of our own making, perhaps when we have decided to go our own way, wandering into sin, rather than following God’s way.  Verse 3 seems to indicate that this was the case with the psalmist.  We’ve all fallen into sin at one time or another, and sometimes the troubles that it causes can entangle us so tightly, spinning us out of control, plunging us deeper and deeper into that pit.  Don’t give up hope.  If our trouble is caused by any sin we’ve committed, confess it, and then accept His mercy and forgiveness (vs. 3 - 4).  He is the only one who can help.  God doesn’t keep a record of our sins after we’ve confessed them.  He forgives us completely.

In those problems that we find ourselves in, whether it’s because of any mess we’ve created ourselves or not, we should not panic or struggle to figure it out ourselves.  Instead stay calm and wait for God to come to our aid.  Trust in Him.  God does not operate on our timetable (vs. 5).  He knows the best time to step into a situation we are in and work things out.  The psalmist urges us to wait for God to come to our aid, wait rather than try to work things out for ourselves.  So many times I have tried to solve my problems myself rather than waiting for God, and I can attest it never worked out well.

We need to watch and wait just like the night watchman waits for the morning.  Years ago, when cities were encircled by a wall, there were watchmen who would walk the walls, particularly at night, keeping a lookout for enemies.  They would anxiously look for the dawn’s light.  If we have something very special and exciting planned on a certain day, don’t we find it hard to sleep the night before, and eagerly wait for the morning?  The Lord tells us to wait for Him, His help and blessings, with just such eager anticipation (vs. 6).

We can hope and trust in God’s Word, just as the psalmist says (vs. 5b).  When his problems were overwhelming him, and he was sinking down into the depths, where could he turn?  He turned to God, and put his hope in His Word.  That is exactly where we need to look to, as well.  God is our help, and we can know that our hope should be in His Word at all times, for it will never fail!