Rev Renewal – March 24, 2020

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  If you, O Lord, kept record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  O 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” (Psalm 130)

I am sure that at this point during our current situation with the corona virus, there is a mix of emotions and perhaps one can relate to the cry the Psalmist makes in Psalm 130.  In this Psalm, the Psalmist is crying out for mercy regarding their current situation.  They desire for the Lord to redeem them. They wait intensely for this redemption.  Thus, the cry made by the Psalmist is not a light cry, but instead “out of the depths (Psalm 130:1)”

For us, I believe there is a deep desire to be redeemed from the fear and anxiousness surrounding our current world situation.  There is the uncertainty about the length of time for the virus to be present, the anxiousness about how to proceed with each day, and the fears about the economic status of our country.  With all this taking place, who or what do we place our hope in?

The Psalmist declares “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption (Psalm 130: 7).  When all that we are familiar with here on earth starts to unravel, and it feels as there is no hope, the Psalmist reminds us of the hope we have in the Lord.  This hope is not just temporary, or partial, but rather a full redemption.   Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we have the hope of eternal life, the promise of forgiveness of our wrongs, and victory over the power of death and darkness.

Just as the Psalmist shares “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and his word I put my hope (Psalm 130:5), may we place our hope in the Lord during these challenging times.  May we cling to the promises of the Lord to sustain our weary selves.  Even as this period may be a bit long for us, the Psalmist expresses “my soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:6)”.  May we be attentive to how the Lord is already at work, and continue to wait with eagerness for the Lord’s full redemption.

Blessings,
Pastor Arlyn ><>