Yesterday, I wrote about waiting and God’s blessings.
This morning, I read Psalm 130 and am marveling again at His goodness.
Psalm 130
A Pilgrim Song
Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears!
Listen to my cries for mercy.
If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings,
who would stand a chance?
As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit,
and that’s why you’re worshiped.
I pray to God — my life a prayer —
and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning.
O Israel, wait and watch for God—
with God’s arrival comes love,
with God’s arrival comes generous redemption.
No doubt about it—he’ll redeem Israel,
buy back Israel from captivity to sin.
–from The Message
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
I love reading from The Message as it pulls new light to things read. Thanks for sharing.
“my life a prayer”…I love that…not just words but our very life cries out to him and waits.
I like that it is called “a pilgrim song”…we all face these times on our journey…no one immune.
Thanks Charity!
Morning… such a time of hope. We stretch, yawn, and step into the day…
What is it about the morning? For me it seems everything is fresher. And it is nice to read Peterson’s renderings. They can help us in that way, as well.
I’ve been in the psalms alot lately, myself. I love the humanness of them, in ALL our humanity. And bringing that all before God.
Mark — Great point. I love the honesty of the Psalms too. The Psalmists always seem to be expressing to God the emotions we “moderns” feel guilty about: fear, uncertainty, anger, indignation. I’m so thankful that we can take those difficult feelings to the Lord.
“Forgiveness is your habit,
and that’s why you’re worshiped.”
That’s what I love about the Psalms. They are unapologetically honest. The Psalmist doesn’t apologize for his ulterior motives–I worship you in part because I know you will forgive me. He is just honest with God.
After all, God knows all of our ulterior motives.