Psalm 130:5 - Waiting With Hope In The Lord and His Promises.
Psalm 130:5 - Waiting With Hope In The Lord and His Promises.
Psalm 130:5 (NIV) I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his
word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:5 (TLB) That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God
to help, for he has promised.
CONTEXT AND OVERVIEW
As you ponder this psalm, see yourself in four different
situations, and learn what it means to trust the mercy of the Lord.
In the depths (1-2). The depths of despair overwhelm you. You
are drowning, and all you can do is cry out to God. He hears -and
He rescues you!
In the court (3-4). You are on trial, facing your sins, and
you have no defense. The Judge pays the penalty, and you are
forgiven!
In the dark (5-6). You are waiting patiently, yet it seems
morning will never come. But the sun rises, and God gives you the
dawning of a new day!
On the block (7-8). You are a slave, bound by your own sins,
and you are about to sell yourself to a terrible master. But the
Savior comes and purchases you and sets you free!
What a wonderful salvation you have! [Chapter by Chapter
Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
WORD STUDY
5-6 I wait ... I do hope: In these two verses, the poet repeats
five times that his hope is in the Lord. This was a confident
expectation in the God who is always faithful to His promises. [Nelson SB]
5. I wait. The answer may not come as quickly as the psalmist
would like, but because of his confidence in that word he waits
patiently in hope. Even though the night of sorrow may seem long, he knows
that the morning will soon break. When the dark, black clouds of
night roll away, the bright beams of "the Sun of righteousness" will
be seen (see Mal. 4:2). [SDA Bible Commentary]
COMMENTARY
Someone has described the morning quiet time as "turning the
dial until we tune in to God's wavelength--then we get the message."
But how do we gain the best results from our quiet time?
First, decide on the amount of time you want to invest in
waiting before God. Next, take your Bible and read a portion slowly. Let
it soak in. If some words or verses strike you, focus on them in
meditation. They will yield up new meanings to you. Write these down.
After the reading, let go, relax, and say to Him: "Father,
have You anything more to say to me?" Learn to listen. All those who
hear God's voice on a regular basis say that it is something they
have had to develop over time and by experience. They pause, they
wait, and they learn after a while to disentangle their own thoughts
from what God is saying.
Then speak to God in prayer. And finally, thank Him for the
answer. He always answers--whether it is "yes," "no," or "wait." His "no"
is just as much an answer as His "yes"--sometimes even a better
answer.
Not far from my home is the River Thames. Sometimes I walk
along the riverbank and watch small boats entering the locks from the
adjoining rivers. To get into the Thames, these boats must enter the lock
and wait there to be lifted up to a higher level. Our quiet time
does that. It shuts us in with God. But then infinite resources begin
to bubble up from below, and we are lifted silently and without
strain onto a higher level. The lifting is the result of being shut in
with God.
O Father, help me resolve to spend a quiet time with You
every day. May my quiet time at this moment be the open door through
which I glide out onto a higher level of life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional]
Sometimes we have to encounter God. We just have to. The
situation is desperate, the need is overwhelming, the next step is too
urgent, yet unclear. We need to feel God's touch, hear the sound of His
voice, receive His answer to prayer. The crises of life drive us to
Him, pleading for Him to intervene or even to whisper His will. In
those moments, our souls long for Him more than sentries who wait for
the dawn. Like watchmen on the walls, we scan the horizon for any
hint of the rising sun. We wait for the morning. And wait some more.
During those times of waiting and watching, we need to
remember one thing: The sun always rises. The sentries on the wall don't
wonder whether the darkness will give way to the dawn; they only wonder
exactly when. They don't have to fear that perhaps this time the sun
won't rise, that maybe they will be stuck in some deep night's
perpetual shroud. The dawn will come. It always does. It may seem slow,
like the watched pot that seems never to boil or a long-anticipated
vacation that seems like it may never arrive. Eventually, the darkness
breaks and the light shines. The day of favor comes.
Waiting for God can be a lot like that, and if we're watching
the clock, the wait can be awfully frustrating. But He does come. He
breaks through like the rising sun, dispelling the darkness of our
desperation and bringing warmth to the cold places of our lives. He responds
faithfully to whatever prayers we've prayed with persistent faith. He
speaks to ears that remain open. Like the watchmen who wait for the
morning, we will see the sunrise.
Lord, You have seen my seasons of desperation. You know how
I've watched for You more than the sentries long for the dawn. Reward
my wait - my persistent, hopeful wait - with the sight tired eyes
need to see: You. I look to You as the light that interrupts all the
darkness in my life. [The One Year Hearing His Voice Devotional by Chris
Tiegreen]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
When you approach Me in stillness and in trust, you are
strengthened. You need a buffer zone of silence around you in order to focus
on things that are unseen. Since I am invisible, you must not let
your senses dominate your thinking. The curse of this age is
overstimulation of the senses, which blocks out awareness of the unseen world.
The tangible world still reflects My Glory, to those who have
eyes that see and ears that hear. Spending time alone with Me is the
best way to develop seeing eyes and hearing ears. The goal is to be
aware of unseen things even as you live out your life in the visible
world. (2 Cor. 4:18; Isa. 6:3; Psa. 130:5) [Psa. 46:10] [Jesus Calling
by Sarah Young]
Let Me show you My way for you this day. I guide you
continually, so you can relax and enjoy My Presence in the present. Living
well is both a discipline and an art. Concentrate on staying close to
Me the divine Artist. Discipline your thoughts to trust Me as I
work My ways in your life. Pray about everything; then, leave
outcomes up to Me. Do not fear My will, for through it I accomplish what
is best for you. Take a deep breath and dive into the depths of
absolute trust in Me. Underneath are the everlasting arms! (Psa. 5:2, 3;
Deu. 33:27) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Waiting is an inescapable part of life in this world. One of
the hardest times to wait is during the night, if you're having
trouble sleeping. As the darkness drags on while you're watching for the
first rays of sunlight, you can identify with watchmen waiting for the
morning. However, no matter how long the night may feel, dawn eventually
comes. Since I created an orderly world, you can count on the rising of
the sun.
There is much to learn from this pattern of expectant waiting
followed by the dawning of a new day. People who are struggling with
long-term problems may feel as if their suffering will go on interminably.
But for My children there is every reason to be hopeful, even while
circumstances remain dark. Relief will come! I can change situations and
relieve suffering in an instant. Moreover, each of My followers is on a
pathway leading to heaven.
Just as the night sometimes seems terribly long, yet always
ends in dawn, so your journey through this world - no matter how long
and hard it seems - will definitely end in Glory! (Psa. 130:5, 6;
17:15; Eph. 3:20, 21; Isa. 60:19) [Jesus Today by Sarah Young]
THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER
WAITING IN GENERAL
God does not spring into action on our timetable. In fact, He
often waits to the very last moment to intervene. Why? Waiting is
God's training ground for building strong faith. As we wait, we learn
to trust. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley]
WAITING FOR FORGIVENESS
Donald Grey Barnhouse used to picture a believer, burdened with
a sense of guilt, appealing to God for forgiveness. The believer
was ashamed, for he knew that he had committed the same sin many
times before. "O Lord," he begged, "please forgive me again. I know I
don't deserve it, as this is the nineteenth time I've committed this
sin this month. But please, Lord, forgive me this nineteenth time."
And, Dr. Barnhouse would say, the Lord looked up in surprise. "What
do you mean, nineteenth?" The point this great old expositor of
God's Word was making is stated clearly in Psalm 130:3-4. "If You, O
Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You
there is forgiveness." God keeps no record of our sins! When we
confess, He forgives, and then our sins are gone. What a blessing! Our
past no longer is a weight we must carry with us always. Our past is
gone, and we can look ahead with renewed hope. Through forgiveness we
have been cleansed! Tomorrow will be different, and through Christ we
will win victory over sins that in the past meant defeat. [The
365-Day Devotional Commentary]
CROSS REFERENCES FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalms 33:20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and
our shield.
Psalms 62:1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my
salvation.
Psalms 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in
thy word.
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Prophecies Decoded Sermon Series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
