Psalm 130
The Lord graciously forgives guilty sinners and invites us to wait on him in faith
I. Walking in Forgiveness (130:1-4)
Hebrews 4:12-13: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
The good news of the gospel: although the Lord does mark sins, the record can be wiped clean. For those who are in Christ Jesus, God is not counting our trespasses against us because they’ve been credited to Jesus’ account and we’ve been given his righteousness.
II. Waiting in Faith (130:5-8)
The “waiting” of the Christian life is not an inactive, passive waiting. Instead, we are called to wait by:
Watching (130:5-6)
Hoping (130:7-8)
“The Christian’s waiting and watching is hoping – based on the conviction that God is actively involved in His creation and vigorously at work in redemption. Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusion. It is not compelled to work away at keeping up appearances with a bogus spirituality. It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulation, of scurrying and worrying. Hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or our pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what He said He will do.” ~ Eugene Peterson
