Psalms 130

Psalms 130:1

Psalm 130: Out of the DepthsSomeone has said that the best prayer comes from a strong, inward necessity. In pleasant, prosperous times of life, meaningful prayer is often the first casualty. But when we are being tossed around by the storms of life, then we really know how to touch the throne of grace in fervent, insistent pleading. 130:1, 2 I am often amazed at the depths of sorrow and suffering that can be endured by the human frame. The psalmist is in one of those dark troughs of life. There is no way to look but up. And so his clamant call goes winging up from out of the depths to the throne of heaven. He urgently pleads that his thin, solitary voice be heard, that the LORD will grant him audience. The plea is, of course, answered. Always! In the suppliant’s mind, his trouble was somehow connected with some sin, This may or may not have been true. But in any case it is always a good idea to eliminate unconfessed sin as a possible cause of our calamities. 130:3, 4 If the LORD should mark iniquities in the sense of keeping an itemized account and making each of us pay on the line, then the situation would be positively hopeless. But we can be eternally grateful that there is a way in which sins can be forgiven. There is forgiveness for the guilty sinner and there is forgiveness for the sinning saint. The first is judicial forgiveness, that is, forgiveness from God, the Judge. It is obtained by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It covers the penalty of all sinspast, present and future. It is possible because of the finished work of Christ at Calvary; in His death He paid the penalty for all our sins and God can freely forgive us because all His righteous claims have been met by our Substitute. The second is parental forgivenessthe forgiveness of God, our Father. It is obtained by confessing our sins to Him. It results in a restoration of fellowship with God and with His family. It too is purchased for us by the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross. One result of His forgiveness is that He should be feared. When I think what it cost Him to forgive my sins, and when I realize that His forgiveness is full, free, and eternal, it causes me to reverence, trust, love and worship Him forever. 130:5, 6 Although the psalmist hasn’t asked directly for forgiveness, it is certainly implied in verses 3, 4. But when he says in verse 5 that he waits for the LORD, he does not mean for forgiveness. That is assured as soon as he confesses. Rather he waits for the Lord to deliver him from the depths. Sometimes God answers prayer immediately. Sometimes He teaches us to wait. God answers prayer; sometimes when hearts are weak, He gives the very gifts His children seek, But often faith must learn a deeper rest, And trust God’s silence when He cannot speak; For He whose name is love, will send the best; Stars may burn out, nor mountain walls endure, But God is true, His promises are sure To those who seek. Author unknownSo here he has learned to wait for the LORD and to hope in His word, that is, in His promise to hear and to answer. More than the watchmen wait for the light of dawn, he longs to see the Lord bring light into his darkness. But verses 5, 6 have a wider application that we must not miss. They express the earnest longing of the believer today as he looks for the coming of Christ to translate His church to heaven. This blessed hope will not be disappointed. 130:7, 8 The last two verses of the Psalm may be thought of as the psalmist’s testimony after his prayer for deliverance had been answered. Having proved God’s faithfulness for himself, he wants others to share the experience also. It is always this way: if a person really believes something, he is anxious to communicate it to others. So Israel is encouraged to hope in the LORD. Three reasons are given. First, His mercy is unchanging. Then, His redemption is abundant in its supply. And finally His willingness to redeem Israel from all his iniquities is assured. The Psalm opened in the depths of gloom. It closes with a vibrant call to trust in the God for whom no problem is too mountainous, no dilemma too complex.