Read
(A song for worship.)
Trusting the Lord
1From a sea of troubles
I cry out to you, Lord.
2Won't you please listen
as I beg for mercy?
3If you kept record of our sins,
no one could last long.
4But you forgive us,
and so we will worship you.
5With all my heart,
I am waiting, Lord, for you!
I trust your promises.
6I wait for you more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
Yes, I wait more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
7Israel, trust the Lord!
God is always merciful
and has the power to save you.
8 Israel, the Lord will save you
from all your sins.
Reflect
What a splendid psalm for us to take and flesh out with our own particular circumstances – or those of someone else whom we’re praying for. The psalm is vague in all its details, so that we can easily fill in our own.
The first verse in the CEV sounds a bit flat to my ear. “A sea of troubles” is something of a cliché, and I find the ESV and NIV’s “Out of the depths” more evocative of real trouble. Or how about Eugene Peterson’s “Help, God – the bottom has fallen out of my life!” (The Message). Once again the Hebrew talks about trouble and chaos using imagery of the sea.
(“Help, God – my wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend has left me!” “Help, God – I’ve just lost my job!” “Help God – I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer!”)
But as soon as the pray-er approaches God, he realizes that he has no grounds to beg for mercy; only that God forgives. Not just one particular sin, but all of our selfishness, prayerlessness, lack of love for others. . . . (Thank you, Lord!)
No, there is no immediate solution. I have to wait (for test results from the hospital/for news about my job application/for healing/for a sense of peace . . .), “waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning” (The Message). (I can’t sleep, I’m in pain and I’m surrounded by darkness.)
But, just a minute, I’m not alone. God is always there, even when I can’t feel him. He is always merciful. (“He will save me from this. Even if I die first, he will save me.”) I’m lifted out of my present crisis and begin to understand things in his time.
“Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NKJV)
Respond
Lord Jesus, thank you for showing us how suffering begins to make sense. Thank you for giving us a longing for the time when your kingdom comes in full, and sorrow turns to joy. Help us to wait for your return by getting on with the things you have given us to do, like the servants in the parable (Luke 12:35-40). Amen.
Annabel Robinson
Annabel was born in Kew, near London, England. She committed her life to Jesus Christ at a Scripture Union camp when she was 16, and immediately found joy and peace. At Oxford she was active in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, where she met her husband, Reid. They emigrated to Canada in 1965, where she taught Classics at the University of Regina until 2007. She has two children, Heather in Oslo and Alasdair in Calgary.