More Than Watchmen Wait for the Morning - Psalm 130

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Psalm 130

A Song of Ascents.

1  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.

 
 

Cape Cod has historically been a ships’ graveyard because of its treacherous shoals and currents, and just beyond view at the left of the picture is Chatham Light, which flashes forth day and night to warn ships of approaching danger.

Can you imagine being the lookout on a ship in the black of night, scanning the horizon for the light, desperate to know if you are approaching an unseen, underwater danger?

Can you imagine how desperate you’d be for dawn to come?

Imagine being a soldier at war, in a foxhole, hearing the movements of an approaching enemy but unable to see.  How desperate would you be for light to dawn?

In the ancient times, watchmen kept watch on the city’s walls, ready to sound the alarm and rouse the city at the sight of approaching danger.

How desperate must the watchmen have felt in the midnight watches for dawn to come?

This is the image the psalmist plays with in Psalm 130:

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.

“More than watchmen wait for the morning, so desperate is my soul for the Lord.”

What if the people of God across our country felt that kind of desperation today for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and communities?

P.S. I’ve always liked this praise song from 20 years ago, and I really like the Shane and Shane version that they recently released.

“Lord, I’m desperate for you….”