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Where seagulls safely sleep
Psalm 130 (NIV)
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.
The psalmist knew despair. We do not know whether this was as a consequence of suffering “depths” of depression or the presence of enemies in his land or, as inferred, because of his own sinfulness (verse 3a). We do sense how desperately he wanted forgiveness and restoration. Appropriately, he wanted to put his restoration to good use in reverently serving his God. This psalm is also for us to pray when we are “in the pits”. We too are to cry for mercy to the one who is merciful and from whom forgiveness is offered.
There is an expectation in the way that the psalmist has described waiting. “My whole being waits” (verse 5) suggests alertness, all senses straining to detect the first indication of a response from the Lord.
Those with a military background can relate to the description of watchmen waiting for the morning (verse 6). Soldiers patrolling in enemy territory must be especially alert at dawn to counter any attack. Sentries posted throughout the night are required, before first light, to wake their comrades. These then move away from where they slept, take up defensive positions and then, hushed and immobile, focus on what lies beyond the perimeter of their position. Each soldier’s whole being waits, “as watchmen wait for the morning”, for daylight to reveal any immediate threat.
The psalmist has put his hope in the word of the Lord and there lies his confidence. It is because he has learned of the Lord’s past faithfulness that he knows that the Lord will hear him and that, with the Lord, there is forgiveness (vese 4). Having this faith in the word of the Lord and in his promises, he is in a position to urge his fellow Israelites to do the same.
We know this is not limited to the descendants of Abraham but to all who put their hope in the Lord.
Paul made this clear in his letter to the church in Galatia, many of whom were not Jews (Galatians 6: 15-16):
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.
The “Israel of God” includes his children by adoption—those who are adopted into his kingdom through the redemption won by Jesus Christ.
“I wait for the Lord” (verses 5, 6) resonates with me; how much more then would these five words be resonating with followers of Jesus in the global south and particularly those who daily encounter persecution for their faith?
We all wait for the Lord. We wait for him to act. We wait for news of his saving work in the lives of others. We wait particularly for the long-promised return of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory.