Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Psalm 146 and Psalm 130

Today you’re invited to memorise Psalm 130:5-6
⁵ I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

First commit it to memory and then meditate on it throughout the day in light of Psalm 146:5-6
⁵ Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

⁶ He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them –
    he remains faithful for ever.

Verses 5-6 of Psalm 130 are composed in such a way that the five-fold repetition of the word “wait” and the repetition of the whole line, “more than watchmen wait for the morning,” doubly emphasizes the sense of waiting and waiting and waiting for some sort of tangible answer to prayer from God.

Psalm 130 is for those moments when the answer to our cry for God’s intervention and mercy doesn’t come quickly enough for our liking. It reminds us in the waiting that we are hoping in “the Lord” and in “His word”. Our faith is not focussed on itself (as if the strength of our faith will bring the answer to prayer), our faith is focussed on the absolute trustworthiness of God who “remains faithful forever” (Ps.146:6b), and the absolute power of God who made the “heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them” (Psalm 146:6a). So when our hope for help is founded on the Lord, we can wait patiently and steadfastly because … eventually … God’s breakthrough … the answer to our cry for mercy … will … come!

Lord, help me to be patient in the waiting, even when every fibre of my being is crying out, “How long, Lord!” Help me to trust in You, in Your faithfulness and in Your power to save. Amen.

Today’s worship song is “More than the watchman” by Marty Goetz and can be found here.