“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6 NIV

Depending on where you are, waiting can be terrible.
– Broken down on the side of the highway
– Sitting at home waiting for news or a phone call
– A hospital
– A holding cell
– Outside the principal’s office
– A crowded restroom

And on the other hand, waiting can lead to something joyous
– A labor and delivery waiting room
– Hiding for a surprise party
– An anticipated meal of celebration at a nice restaurant
– In the last minute of the last class on the last day of school
– At the bedside of a loved one who has suffered long and awaits heaven
– A groom longing for his bride to walk down the aisle

Again, depending on where you find yourself, waiting can have all sorts of connotations. Here, the psalmist finds himself in a place he simply calls ‘the depths’ and we all know what it is like to long for a ray a hope, a glimmer of sunshine as we sit in those deep, dark places of the soul.

We wait for hope. We wait for happiness. We wait for a voice of comfort. We wait for redemption, a helping hand of love and so many other things. The depths…we try not to think about them too much. That is a place of tears, deep worry and a sadness that is tangible. It is where depression lurks and where the enemy seems strongest. Our head is physically bowed by the weight of it on our heart and our mind doesn’t get a moment’s rest from the voices of doubt dread, guilt and shame.

It feels like all you can do it wait. And so the psalmist echoes this line:
“I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

When we are in those dark places, those deep, wretched, dark places, there is only one Ray of hope, there is only one Redeemer, and it is The Lord. No substance can wash away the pain, or truly dull the heart. No individual human being can rescue us from a place where we are all wont to go from time to time, because everyone is susceptible to the depths. None of us are immune to its grasping, pulling tentacles. But God is above all and sufficient for all. Only The Lord of hosts is capable of redeeming our life from the pit.

And as we approach Resurrection Sunday in this season of Lent, we find that the key to the door of the depths was cross-shaped and blood drenched. We see that Jesus reached His nail-pierced hands into our pain, sorrow, worry and sin and pulled us up out of our hell of the heart, and the darkness of our souls and brought us safely to the land of the eternal sunrise. So, as the watchmen wait for the sun, we wait on The Lord. There may be times where the darkness seems unending, but we who wait in The Lord will never be let down, disappointed or left wanting.

He alone can save, has saved and will continue to save as long as grace permits. He redeems us from the reality of the true hell, and from the hells we put ourselves through. He redeems us from the darkness of sin and the darkness of the depths in our hearts.

Praise God for His faithfulness. As the sun rises in the morning, our Redeemer will rescue us. He is faithful. He is love. He is truth in joy, and when we wait for Him, we will always find our reward there in His arms of love. So, even as you wait, GoLove and share the hope we have found in Christ with someone who so desperately needs it.