Wait for it....

I usually don't write about anything too serious on this blog, and I try to avoid social/political/religious issues because, as you can see from past blog posts, I just keep it light, non-serious and attempt to keep it humorous.  HOWEVER...I have been reading www.shereadstruth.com on a (somewhat) daily basis and the task assigned to me and everyone else included reading and reflecting on Psalm 130.  So that is what I am about to do.

The book of Psalms started as one of my favorite books of the bible because it is poetry, mostly written by King David.  I did that thing in high school where I deemed myself as artistic and wrote poetry and channeled my dark and twisty self by writing artistically.  I still have my composition notebook that holds a somewhat humorous but not intended to be humorous collection of poetry about love, life and how much I ended up hating that one boy I briefly dated.  If I was brave, I would post a sample just for your amusement.  I'm not that brave so you will just have to trust me when I say it is pretty ridiculous....this point being I loved reading Psalms during that time in my life based solely on the fact that it is poetry.  (and also I was always trying to pinpoint the psalms in which David had that thing going on with Bathsheba.  oooo I needed the drama!)

I still really enjoy the book of Psalms because of the simple truths that can be found there.  Most of these were written by King David, like I already mentioned, but reading my bible notes it says Psalm 130 may have been written by Hezekiah, but its officially by anonymous.  (I should make sure my little book of poetry is officially by anonymous...)  In Psalm 130 our psalmist eloquently says a few things about forgiveness and waiting:

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits.
and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Verse 3 and 4 are legit.  Thankfully, God is better at forgiveness than I am.  As I get older, I see that everything carries weight in life.  When someone wrongs me, depending on the severity of the wrong, I can usually, eventually muster up forgiveness and all is good.  When someone wrongs those I love...well, I find it less easy to forgive.  It's can be easy for me to tally up wrong doings of the party doing the wrong.  I can create a pretty detailed list.  A record, if you will.....The good, wonderful and amazing news is that The Lord has no record of sin, only a sea of forgiveness.  I know that to be more Christ-like I need to strive more toward the sea of forgiveness thing...It warms my heart to know that of all the things I fail at and need forgiveness for, God has no record!  He only has an abundant store of forgiveness and love waiting to lavish on us.  How freeing!

My favorite part of this passage happens in the next two verses.  I can feel the waiting in this verse.  On the forgiveness scale I think I could muster up about an 8 but on the scale of waiting I'm about a 3.  Waiting is not my forte.  If you want me to ruin my, and probably your, afternoon put me on hold for 30 minutes with customer service and then send me back into the touch tone portion of the call...Whoever started the "put your number in for a call back" option deserves a medal!!!  Learning to wait is one of the tougher lessons I have learned/am still learning.  I fully believe that the things we work hardest at completing and accomplishing end up meaning the most to us.  The Lord teaches us different things through all kinds of circumstances, good and bad.  Often, I learn the most through periods of waiting.  I want my very being, the depths of my soul to wait.  To patiently wait and listen.  I think of it as soul conditioning.  (Those circumstances I was talking about are kind of like those conditioning tests we took in Elementary PE.....but for our spiritual life, to break it down in a very cheesy comparison!)  These two verses challenge me to wait. To be still, patient and quiet.  To listen and wait for Him as he gently leads my soul.

And those are my thoughts on Psalms 130.

Until next time!