There is Always Hope

Psalm 130: A Reflection

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

Regardless of good days, bad days, or boring in-between days, we can always cry out to God and trust that He will hear us. We are his beloved children, and He wants us to run to Him with our worries and fears, and to trust that He will take care of us.

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.

Throughout the Old Testament, it was God’s unfailing love and mercy that repeatedly redeemed the people of Israel from their sins. We see a continuous theme of rescue, restoration, and hope as God offers the only solution to save His people — through His complete forgiveness. Our role in response to God’s grace is to live a life that would bring Him praise and glory, by keeping His commandments.

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.

Who else can we put our hope or trust in? Certainly not in a world that is ever-changing and full of sin, and certainly not in other people, who like us are finite and fallible.

To wait on God with our whole being is to have a fixed, firm, and steady attitude that our future is in His hands. It’s an active and expectant wait for God to intercede on our behalf. We wait with unshakeable faith in His plan for our lives.

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.

In the New Testament, the rescue continues as God takes human form in the person of Jesus who made the ultimate sacrifice by dying for our sins. Our role in response to Jesus’s sacrifice, and victory over death, is to pick up our cross in daily repentance and to follow Him.

In times of trouble, our pride makes us demand answers from God, but hope tells us to push through the problems that we might not get answers to. God’s agenda is bigger than anything we can comprehend, and putting our trust in Him means giving up control, and letting God put all of the broken pieces of our lives together, for His glory.

Thank you for reading :-)