150 days before I left for the Race I started reading a psalm every day starting from 150 and working my way to the beginning. *Future Racers or anyone else – this was a wonderful preparation for me. It was an exciting countdown and helped prepare my heart for leaving.* I got this idea from one of my dearest friends who was doing it with her now husband leading up to their wedding.
Since the beginning of this month I started doing this again and shared it with my teammates. We started 150 days out from August 1 when we think that we’ll be home. The other day I read Psalm 130 and was blown away! I would like to share it with you all and point out the things that have made me fall more in love with our Papa.
Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.
And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Isn’t Papa amazing?! Think of all the sins you have made in your lifetime, this past year, month, even today and try to tally them all. Quite impossible, right? There are too many to count. Realized With all of those sins we deserve death. But with our God there is forgiveness. We should not even be allowed to stand before God because of all the sin we have done and will do in our lifetime. But because of what Jesus did on the cross we don’t only stand before God, we stand before Him wearing Christ’s righteousness. When you give your life to Christ justification happens, meaning that Christ stands before God wearing our sins while we stand before God wearing Christ’s righteousness. It’s a beautiful thing when we receive God’s grace and forgiveness.
Another point that I enjoy in this passage is the analogy that the psalmist uses – how he “waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning”. He doesn’t just say this analogy once but twice, expressing how much his soul is waiting on the LORD and hoping in His Word. This got me thinking…how much is my soul waiting on God? Am I even waiting like the watchmen are for the morning – eagerly looking for the sun to come up so they can rejoice? Or am I becoming too impatient because God is not working on my timescale? I tend to lean more on the latter, which makes God’s forgiveness that more amazing.
Now, this next part fills me with so much joy! “For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption.” I like the NIV words for ‘steadfast love’ – unfailing love. I always love being reminded that with God there will always be love. He will love me no matter what, and He will always show His love towards me in whatever I’m going through. Because when I am faithless he is faithful (2 Timothy 2.13). Then there’s the last half of this verse. With God there is plentiful redemption. Plentiful…enough for everyone! I make mistakes all the time, but God continues to rescue me because in Him there is plentiful redemption.
Lastly, the psalmist says that God “will redeem Israel from all his iniquities”. Not King David or anyone else, but God alone will redeem His people from their iniquities. So why do I keep trying to fix things on my own? My own abilities and works won’t save me from all of my mistakes. God’s redemption isn’t only for the Israelites, but also for us today. His redemption is plentiful! There’s enough to go around for everyone and to keep going around.
Thank you for reading through my thoughts and the ways why I’m loving this psalm recently. Get ready for another post to come soon about what accessories I have found myself wearing and how God is helping me pass a test.
Blessings,
Hannah
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