5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait,
Psalm 130:5-6
and in his word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord
more than they that watch for the morning:
I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
Explanation
I love this stanza because it is the response of the psalmist to the character of the Lord. God is a forgiving God. He is merciful. This is what was stated in verses 3-4.
3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities,
Psalm 130:3-4
O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee,
that thou mayest be feared.
In verse 5 the psalmist declares the he will wait for the Lord. The word for wait in the Hebrew has the flavor of expectation as part of its’ meaning. God has promised that He would forgive. The psalmist is crying out for deliverance from the chaos of the effects of his sin. Now, he is waiting on God for that deliverance. God has promised forgiveness and mercy, and on that word of God, the psalmis is putting his hope.
What does this expectant waiting look like? He gives an illustration in verse 6. In ancient times guards would stand on a wall in a city, or soldiers in a camp, watching for danger so the rest of those they protected slept. They watched all night waiting for the sun to come up and with it the protection that daylight brings. The daylight brought with it an end to the vulnerability that happens in the late hours of the night. The sun comes up every day, and it is this confidence that the psalmist has in the character of God, and the Word of God, that God Himself will deliver him.
Application
Trusting in the deliverance of God is are only hope. I cannot forgive myself. I cannot deliver myself from the ultimate effects of sin. The soul that sins it shall die. The wages of sin is death. It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgement. If I sin against others, they may forgive me, but I have still ultimately sinned against God. Even if I get away with my sin for a time, there is no full, final, and freeing deliverance from sin outside of our forgiving God. We must trust in Him for forgiveness and deliverance, and He will do it! “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Response
Heavenly Father, help me to hope in you, and to wait expectantly for you. Help me to rely on your word today for how I live and what I do. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your forgiveness. Amen.