Psalm 130 — All About Waiting — Aneel Aranha

Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Have you ever found yourself waiting? And not just the kind of waiting you do in a queue, but the soul-deep waiting that feels like an eternity. You will then relate to the psalmist's cry: "Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD" (Psalm 130:1). It's a cry of desperation, of longing, and of hope.

Waiting is a universal experience, but it's also profoundly personal. We all wait for different things: answers to prayers, resolution to conflicts, a long-awaited healing, or even just clarity in the midst of confusion.

The psalmist here is waiting for something else. He is waiting for God's redemption and forgiveness. He acknowledges his sins and the sins of his people, and he waits, with bated breath, for God's word.

Now here's the thing about waiting: it changes us. As we wait, we often find ourselves maturing in unexpected ways. We find ourselves developing resilience, discovering newfound patience, or gaining insights that we hadn't previously considered.

Scripture is filled with people who waited, from Abraham in the Old Testament, who waited for years for a son, to Simeon in the New Testament, who waited for The Son. Simeon was a righteous man who waited for the "consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). The Holy Spirit promised him that he wouldn't die before seeing the Lord's Messiah. And so, he waited.

Can you imagine the years, the decades of waiting, holding onto that promise? And then, one day, Mary and Joseph walk into the temple with baby Jesus, and Simeon knows his wait is finally over. He takes Jesus in his arms and praises God, saying, "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace" (Luke 2:29).

Both the psalmist and Simeon teach us something profound and hopeful about waiting. It's not just about endurance; it's about expectation. It's about holding onto hope, even when everything seems hopeless. It's about trusting in the promises of God, even when they seem distant.

So, if you find yourself deep down in the "depths" today, waiting for something or someone, take heart. Remember the psalmist's words: "Put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption."

God bless you.