Out of the depths I call to you, Lord. Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, mark our sins, Lord, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness and so you are revered.
I wait with longing for the Lord, my soul waits for his word. My soul looks for the Lord more than sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels for daybreak, let Israel look for the Lord, for with the Lord is kindness, with him is full redemption, and God will redeem Israel from all their sins. – Psalm 130
For centuries, Israel waited for the Messiah to come. The psalms constantly talk of waiting for the Lord. We don’t like to wait. We hate waiting in traffic, in lines or to get what we want in this microwave, instant gratification society. We even rush Christmas as year after year culture moves it up in the calendar.
If worship is a response to what God is doing, then it also involves just waiting for God to act. We have to learn to wait so that when God does act in our lives, we see his kindness and redemption. Waiting for a gift or a bonus or for people to change will disappoint or eventually fail, but as we wait on the Lord and prepare ourselves to see him act, we experience his kindness and redemption.
