11/1

Psalms 130:3-6

³If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. ⁵I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. ⁶My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

The LORD does keep a record of sins. Every idle word we speak, we will give an account of in the Day of Judgment (Matthew 12:36). BUT -- That word must be the most valuable conjunction to man. "But with You there is forgiveness!" Since we know it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to wash away sins (Hebrews 10:4), the psalmist's words can only be looking forward to the justice of God born by the Son of God. The ransom of our soul is precious indeed. It removes all our sins as far as the east from the west.

If there is forgiveness with God, one would imagine that fear would then have no place. The psalmist says there is forgiveness, therefore God is feared. In 1 Kings 8:37-40 we may find the source of the thoughts of the psalmist. When we are rebellious toward God, He brings difficulty into our lives. Then we turn to Him who knows our every deed, and seek His forgiveness. He then heals our heart and our conditions. The fear comes from knowing that He will justly deal with us when we rebel. Look at it another way. A parent will deal with his or her child more severely when the child is acting in a way that is dangerous. A parent who doesn't forgive and doesn't care about his or her child will not bother with discipline. The fact that He cares enough to provide forgiveness should show us that He is to be feared when we are rebellious.

Waiting on the LORD is a lost discipline. We are such a busy society. We have forgotten what it means to wait for something. The psalmist trusted that the Word of God is true, and so he could wait for God to respond in His time. That does not mean he is not eager to see the answer. On the contrary, he is watching with expectation, like the watchman that waits for the sunrise that ends signals the end of his shift and allows him to finally close his eyes and rest. Waiting is inseparable from hoping in God's Word.

Consider: Wait expectantly for God to respond to your prayers and meet you in your need. Watch like that watchman waiting for sunrise.