Job wrote that “man, who is born of woman is short-lived and full of turmoil” (14:1). Is that not one of the most true statements ever found in the whole Bible?
I pray that our “meal” from Psalm 130 will strengthen your spirit regardless of the “turmoil” you might be feeling right now. Let’s look at that psalm…
In the midst of our daily turmoil, let us remember that…
THERE IS FORGIVENESS WITH THE LORD – 130:1-4:
We need to be close to the Lord – verses 1-2.
We often times find ourselves in the “depths,” as the psalmist here notes in verse 1. But when we are in the depths, we need to “call” to Jehovah God. Notice in verses 1-2 the expressions used for prayer: “I have cried to You, O Lord.” Then in verse 2, he uses a synonym, when he writes: “Hear my voice!” And yet another synonym, “let your ears be attentive!”
We desire, when we are in the depths, to be close to the Lord. Why? Because the second strophe reminds us that forgiveness is with the Lord…
If we want God to give attention to our prayers, the first thing we have to have done is get rid of the sin that separates us from God! The psalmist acknowledges in verse 3 that if God “marks” or guards or keeps iniquities, no one is able to stand before Him! But, with God (ver. 4), there is “forgiveness.” In Nehemiah 9:17, he says that God is a “God of forgiveness.” That is, God is characterized by forgiveness; it is a part of His nature.
In the midst of our daily turmoil, secondly, let us remember that…
WE NEED TO WAIT FOR THE LORD – 130:5-8:
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In verses 5-6, the psalmist is speaking to himself; in verses 7-8, he is speaking to the nation of Israel.
Many of our turmoils we bring on ourselves because we refuse to wait on the Lord. The verb “to wait” is used 42 times in the OT; in the book of Psalms, it is used 14 times; twice in this verse. Notice that waiting on the Lord is equivalent to hoping in His word. “Hope” in verse 5 is used as a synonym for “wait.” The verb “to hope” is also used 42 times in the OT; 18 times in the book of Psalms. In the depths of our turmoil, we need to wait in hope on the Lord. Can you be patient?
Verse 6 is an elaboration of verse 5: “My soul [waits – is added by the translators] for “my” Lord.” Here, to emphasize how strongly he waits on the Lord, he says he does so more than the defenders wait and watch for the approaching enemy.
In the final stanza, the psalmist turns his attention to the whole nation of Israel, to his family and friends. This final stanza, you might say, is evangelistic…
Verse 7 begins with an imperative, a command: “Hope, Israel, in the Lord.” Why does the psalmist encourage Israel to “hope” in the Lord? Because with the Lord there is:
Lovingkindness – also translated steadfast love or loyalty. This is that beautiful OT word that you should have highlighted in your Bible every time you find it. That would be 245 times!
But also, with the Lord, there is redemption but even more than that: “abundant redemption.” The word “abundant” is actually a verb: You have caused to increase redemption.
Finally, the psalmist tells Israel to hope in the Lord because He will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. Notice that the redemption here is not in terms of slavery in Egypt or in Babylon, but slavery to sin. Knowing that our sins are forgiven is not a “cure” for everything that afflicts us, but it sure goes a long way to helping us feel better and more confident about God helping us get through those things that do trouble us.
In the depths of our turmoil, let us be reminded that we have forgiveness in the Lord and there is abundant lovingkindness and redemption from sins in the Lord.
Paul Holland
