Wait For The Lord

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

2 Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

    to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,

    Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

    and in his word I put my hope.

6 I wait for the Lord

    more than watchmen wait for the morning,

    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

    for with the Lord is unfailing love

    and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel

    from all their sins.

Recently, my daughter was looking through old Christmas photo cards I had kept. She laughed at one picture card our family sent out in 2002 when the children were very young. The background was obviously a homemade, amateur-looking, off-center tablecloth backdrop that didn't look quite right. My daughter asked why I would submit that picture for our Christmas card, and why we didn't just retake it.

My children don’t remember a time when we had to wait for photos. They’ve never experienced, or even know of a time that we would take a picture and not instantly see the image. We couldn't add a filter, immediately know if someone’s eyes were closed, whether we needed to turn the flash on, or if the backdrop didn't look quite right. Back then, we used a regular camera with film. We would take a few shots, bring the film roll in to be developed, and wait an hour or sometimes several days to get the pictures back, hoping most of the photos would turn out.

Today, we live in a time when waiting is no longer necessary. Delivery can happen the same day or the next; photos are instantaneous; emails and texts have replaced letters; and answers are immediate online, thanks to Google and AI. So when we pray to God, and the results and answers we seek don't seem to come quickly enough, we might grow discouraged and impatient.

In today's Psalm from the lectionary, the text describes a time when the writer is also waiting on the Lord.

The Psalmist is burdened or in despair and cries out to the Lord, asking to be heard and pleading for mercy, recognizing his need for God. At that moment in his plea, knowing the Lord is there to help him, he praises God and acknowledges the complete forgiveness that is made available. His hope securely lies in the Lord's faithfulness to him, and in reverence, he offers his service to God.

In verses 5 and 6, while waiting on the Lord, he is also hoping in God alone for an answer or possibly deliverance, assured because of His Word, and waiting with eager expectation like a watchman awaiting the dawn. The psalmist isn’t just waiting for circumstances to change; he’s waiting for the Lord Himself. He encourages others to also put their hope in the Lord, the one who loves them, forgives, and redeems them.

This Psalm resonates with all of us today as we are walking through life, learning to wait on God. And if we’re honest, most of us aren’t very good at it. We want immediate answers, instant solutions, and sometimes try to take control ourselves. But God often works in the waiting. He doesn't quickly rescue us from difficult situations. Beautiful testimonies are told about how, during life's hardest times, God was there, maybe quietly, seemingly distant, but always working on us and the circumstances. Faithful believers recall the results of waiting that produced maturity and growth in their faith in God's redemptive plan as they held on to their hope and trust in the Lord.

Are you waiting for the Lord, too? Are you crying out to Him for a new job, someone to spend the rest of your life with, a baby of your own to hold, a medical miracle, the mending of a broken relationship, deliverance from an addiction, a family member who has strayed away from the church, or maybe for Christ's return or for HIm to call you home? These waiting moments can be opportunities to strengthen your relationship with God and lean into His Word for comfort and guidance through His promises. God's power is found in the waiting times, refining our character, deepening our trust, drawing us closer to Him, and finding His sustaining presence in our lives. Today, like the writer of Psalm 130, cry out to God and be encouraged, hopeful, and grateful that He is there, listening and working on you. His plan is taking place in the waiting.

May you find God, His peace, and hope in the waiting during this Advent season.

There are two different styles of music in the song for today's devotional. When you click the link and don't enjoy the first Celtic-style intro, please keep listening because it shifts to Kristyn Getty's smooth voice. I hope you listen to the entire song and maybe click on "replay" a few times. It's incredibly powerful, impactful, moving, and encouraging.

I Will Wait for You (Psalm 130) (Official Lyric Video) - Keith & Kristyn Getty