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
Suddenly, the focus of this next psalm changes from blasting oppressors with “Go, get ‘em God!” to a deep heart cry for mercy. What an amazing about-turn!
It is as if the psalmist has been caught by surprise and out of the depths there is a wrenching plea: Hear my cry for help! Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy.
But mercy for what—and from what? From the pain of the oppressors’ cruelty? No, doesn’t seem so. Rather it is the searing awareness of wrongdoing—of sins committed. It’s personal. God knows and the psalmist knows God knows: my life’s on the line before God, my Lord. Ever had this experience, when God’s presence is so intense that your own wrongdoings stare you down? Peter did. Isaiah did.
After having fished all night catching not one fish, Peter is cynical about Jesus’ suggestion that they drop their nets once more before coming in. When the fishing nets were filled to tearing capacity, Peter’s response was not: Great. Good job, Jesus. No. His response was: Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man.(Luke 5:8)Or Isaiah’s experience when the Lord filled the temple was a surprising cry: I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips . . . (Isaiah 6:5)
There are moments when the Spirit of God reveals the awesome holiness of God and that holy presence exposes our own sinfulness . . . and it brings us to our knees.
But the psalmist doesn’t leave us there—no. We are quickly reminded that forgiveness is God’s habit—that’s why we worship him. And so we wait for the Lord to release us from the sin-places where we got stuck.
That is the basis of hope: God will release his people from their prison of sin.
Respond
Holy Lord, how hard it is to stay in that place when you allow us a glimpse of who you are and by comparison who we are. How I long to catch that glimpse and how I dread that naked exposure of my sin in the light of your holiness. Thank you for choosing to share your glory when you know who we are. In the name of the Jesus who died for my sin. Amen.
Elaine Pountney
Integration: a key word in Elaine’s life. Integrating a Science Degree into Counselling; integrating healing and wholeness into effective team building in an international business context (e.g. Sony Canada, Ontario Hydro, Schonbek LIghting); integrating counselling concepts with a Biblical understanding of what builds healthy communities and relationships with groups in the Caucasus, Africa, Brazil and the Arctic. Is it any wonder that she now works with leaders across Canada ‘bringing the pieces together’ toward Spiritual Integration? Publications: Reclaiming the Wonder of Sexuality. Trafford Pub: BC, Canada. 2008; “Reclaiming the wonder of sexuality: toward a Biblical understanding of male & female” teaching manual.