1 I cry out to you from the depths, Lord—
2 my Lord, listen to my voice!
Let your ears pay close attention to my request for mercy!
3 If you kept track of sins, Lord—
my Lord, who would stand a chance?
4 But forgiveness is with you—
that’s why you are honored.
5 I hope, Lord.
My whole being hopes,
and I wait for God’s promise.
6 My whole being waits for my Lord—
more than the night watch waits for morning;
yes, more than the night watch waits for morning!
7 Israel, wait for the Lord!
Because faithful love is with the Lord;
because great redemption is with our God!
8 He is the one who will redeem Israel
from all its sin.
Reflection
Crying out to our Lord is a place of longing. It sounds like a familiar place — that space where we are just longing or waiting for something. To have one’s whole self tied into the place in which, like the psalmist, we say, “My whole being waits for my Lord.” It is so common to the human experience, yet how many of us are patient and hopeful in our waiting? The psalms are riddled with words defining someone’s waiting experience. I also think of biblical stories of people who were waiting, like Moses waiting to see the Promised Land, Elizabeth and Zechariah waiting for a child, or Simeon faithfully waiting to see the Messiah.
I think of lighter examples too. In the book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Dr. Suess wrote about “the waiting place (that is) for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or the waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting….“
Whatever the case, waiting is surely something that we all know, and yet, how many of us wait in faith and hope with our Lord? How many of us wait patiently, like the “the night watch waits for morning?” How many of us invite God in as we wait, especially when what we wait for doesn’t happen in our time?
Waiting may be a common experience, but I imagine how our God is forever (and ever) waiting on us. Our God could be the God who shows us anger and discord. Yet our God is God who is the forgiving and patient one in this relationship! Our God is the immeasurable God of faith and love, despite our forever demands and impatience. In this divine relationship, it is our God who really does the waiting in faith because our Redeemer waits for our response. It is our God who keeps the “night watch wait(ing) for the morning.” So the next time you find yourself waiting, invite God to wait with you!
by Barbara Carlson
For Pondering & Prayer
God is the one in this relationship who is the patient and waiting one. When we think of all the times that we wait, longing for something, we need to remember that our God faithfully shows us love and forgiveness, despite our demanding selves. How is God patiently waiting on you? How do you invite God in when you are struggling to wait with hope and love?
Prayer: Faithful God, thank you for your unending patience and love for me. Thank you for not giving up on me and still forgiving me. Even when I struggle to wait, increase my faith, Lord. And let me trust you, even in the waiting. Amen.
Our Lenten Series
For our Lent series this year, we’ll be using the Adam Hamilton book Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws. At his website, you can find a 40-day reading plan to help you read through the Gospel of Luke during Lent. And join us for worship, in-person or online, at 9:00 & 10:30 every Sunday.
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