By Madison Moore

A Song of Ascents.

Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
²     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

Do you ever feel like God doesn’t hear you? The key word here is “feel.” Human nature and cultural influence tells us that if we don’t feel something, it must not be right—that we shouldn’t trust whatever it is we’re seeking. But this Psalm says differently. David cries out to the Lord about his distressed heart but doesn’t just focus on his needs—he focuses on the Lord.

He’s reminded of a gracious God, one that’s to be feared. He shifts from self to:

  ⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

Watchmen spied for enemies approaching their city, and in some cases, sat over vineyards and fields to protect the crops from thieves and animals. The watchmen’s duties required an eagle eye and active observation. Like watchmen at their stations, David patiently and attentively waits for the Lord. He waits expectantly to see and hear the Lord take action because he knows God’s promises never fail.