I wait for the Lord
“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”Psalm 130:5
Reflection
Psalm 130 begins from the lowest possible point: "Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD." It is the prayer of someone at the bottom of the pit, feeling the weight of wrong and of distance from God. And, as the psalm advances, the cry is transformed into hope. In verse 5, the tone changes: "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." From the depths, and in the midst of darkness, the psalmist decides to wait. Not because the situation has improved, but because he knows whom he trusts.
Note the intensity of the words. "I wait", "my soul doth wait": he does not wait only with his head; the whole soul is turned toward God, waiting. And the target of the waiting is declared: "in his word do I hope". His hope has a point of support, a promise. It is not a vague optimism that says "it will pass", but an expectation founded on what God has already said. Whoever waits without a word lives on illusion; whoever waits on the word of the Lord has an anchor. In the midst of darkness, the Word is the lamp that keeps hope lit.
The next verse brings one of the most beautiful images in the Bible about waiting: "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." Notice the repetition, like someone insisting. The night watchmen, tired and sleepy, wait for dawn with one certainty: it will come. They do not know exactly the hour, but they know the day does not fail. So it is with the psalmist's hope: the night is long, but the morning is sure. Every dawn is the promise that darkness has an hour to end.
If you are going through a night, whether of guilt, loss or uncertainty, do as this psalmist did. Cry out from your depths, without disguise. Then choose a promise of God to hold on to and say: "I wait for the LORD, and in his word do I hope". Wait as the watchman waits for morning: weary, perhaps, but with eyes turned toward the horizon. God's dawn does not fail. And when it comes, you will discover that the waiting was worth it.
Prayer
Lord, out of the depths I cry to You. I wait for You, my soul waits, and in Your Word do I hope. Teach me to wait as the watchman waits for the dawn: with certainty that the day comes. Sustain me in the night and bring Your light in the right time. Amen.
Put it into practice
Choose a Bible promise to hold on to during your present "night" and read it aloud several times today. At the end of the day, say: "I wait for the LORD, and in his word do I hope", even without seeing change.
To reflect on
In which "night" are you waiting for the dawn, and what promise of God's Word can serve as an anchor for your hope?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).