Psalm 130 (NRSV)
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
Devotion
According to Psalm 130, God is attentive, forgiving, merciful, and redemptive. It is an inviting, hospitable description of God. He is like a grandparent waiting on her front porch with open arms. He is like a teacher crouching beside a desk to explain once more. He is like a neighbor extending an invitation to her table. Gracious, abundant hospitality is extended again and again. There is security in God’s open-armed hospitality. The speaker of Psalm 130 isn’t anxious or uncertain of God’s attentiveness. In verses 5 and 6, he speaks of waiting for the Lord “more than those who watch for the morning,” but the waiting doesn’t strike me as a nervous, pacing, sleepless waiting. Instead, I think of it as a deep longing and steadfast expectation that will most assuredly be met. It is an enviable faithfulness.
In practice, it ought to be easy to turn toward the accepting, open arms of God. He invites us and makes room for us. We have a place with Him. He attends, forgives, grants mercy, and redeems. While it seems like going to God should be as easy as falling into waiting arms, there are times when we keep ourselves out of the reach of God’s open, sweeping hospitality. The daily discipline of faith asks that we seek, wait, and watch for the Lord. If we miss His invitation, it will be extended again. The doors don’t close. We belong. We can receive His limitless hospitality again and again.
Prayer
Inviting and attentive Lord, please fill us with the comfort that we are not alone. Attune us to Your radical hospitality. Help us to acknowledge that acceptance, to fully embrace Your hospitality, and then to extend it outward into our lives. Amen.
Emily Foster