Out of the depths I cry to You, LORD; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If You LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve You. I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Israel put Your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. (Psalm 130:1-8)
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There is an unfathomable power in divine forgiveness.
I say "divine forgiveness," because human minds can only grasp but pieces of this high level of love. Let's be honest, our giving of forgiveness feels extensive. It seems like a constant process. We think that we have "forgiven fully," yet find ourselves in need of forgiving that person, that situation, or ourselves again and again...and again.
For us, it takes time, energy, and work. This is because we are humans forgiving other humans in a fallen world. But God forgives out of His perfection. He forgives from genuine love. He forgives with pure understanding. And He divinely forgives once and for all.
Without it, we would sink back in fear and self-condemnation.
Just think... This past week was full of selfish thoughts, rash actions, abusive words, and condescending statements. And today is - yet again - another beginning of another day full of those same temptations and sins.
If God kept them all on record - typed out on some note in His cool iPhone - then we would have absolutely no hope. But today - right now - you must realize that God holds no grudge. He has no expectation of you paying Him back. And most importantly, He no longer sees you apart from Himself.
And with that forgiveness in mind, the psalmist writes a response: The forgiven are to serve by waiting.
"But with You there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve You. I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning."
When I think of waiting, I become overwhelmed with anxiety and stress. In fact, those closest to me know that I am terrible at the much-needed trait known as patience.
Really.
Put me in a doctor's office for more than two hours and I start getting short and sassy. Waiting does not sound like an honoring thing to me.
But here, the psalmist is comparing his waiting to that of a watchman "waiting for the morning."
You see, a watchman's job was to stand guard over the city at night; to keep it safe from any and all intruders. But while they worked, they expectantly waited for the morning. They long-fully waited for the sun to rise.
Because when it did, their shift would be over. When the morning came, relief would come. Things would change. Comfort would be experienced. And it was the certainty of morning that kept them diligently working.
This is the kind of waiting that is honoring to God: To work while waiting. And to wait with certainty and expectation.
While we move about our days - going from meeting to meeting, class to class, task to task - we should long-fully wait for the "sun to rise;" for us to experience the Lord moving, changing, and working. We should - with certainty - know that relief will come; that God will be seen.
Ultimately, our realization of God's forgiveness should spur us to serving Him by waiting for Him to show up in our day. Because He is there - changing situations and redeeming the world around us.
So today, I challenge you to serve by waiting; to work while waiting. Let the certainty of God showing up in your day keep you diligent and obedient.
What has God's divine forgiveness given you? Feel free to let us know in today's Instagram post! Find it at Instagram.com/DeclareGlory.
Blessings,
Greg, Declare Glory
