Maybe I’m just a guy, but when I look at a stoplight it becomes an enemy. I wait and I wait and I wait for it to change from red to green so I can get to my destination. It is only there to make me upset and cause me to be late wherever I’m headed. Where I live we have an intersection called “five points” because five different roads collide in one point. There are over a dozen stoplights hanging and waiting to stop everyone who dares to enter. It seems that everyone has to wait an unbelievable amount of time for their turn to enter the “five points of waiting.” After living here for 15 years I’ve learned to avoid that intersection at all costs because I get tired of waiting. Here is the lesson. Without lights and without waiting there would be innumerable accidents and tragedy. The lights provide a way to get people to places safely.

We cry from the depths

You know, God hears our prayers and He definitely hears our “depth of spirit” cries. These cries usually accompany the consequences of our sin and trying to work that out with God. In Psalm 130, the psalmist is having a conversation with God about the sin in his life and how God can remove that. In vv. 1-2 we see the psalmist is in the depths. There is no doubt that we’ve all been there. He begs God to listen to his plea for mercy (v.2). He cries to God and asks for unmerited forgiveness through His mercy.

It’s important that the “depth of spirit” is generally a way to say “chaos and danger.” Sin causes us to sometimes feel guilt that sends us to a place of chaos and danger in our lives. You don’t have to live there. Confess your sins and live a life of victory over your sins.

We are all guilty

Guilt is debilitating. The psalmist is clear when he writes, “If you, O Lord should mark iniquities, O Lod who could stand” (v.3)? The truth is that we all sin (Romans 3:23). Because of this, we are in constant need of God’s grace. Not only is the psalmist guilty of sin, but he is also experiencing the guilt of sin. David describes this guilt in Psalm 51 in a very clear way.

God provides forgiveness

At least the psalmist understands where to go when experiencing sin in his life. He clearly states, “with YOU there is forgiveness that you may be feared.” God is the one who offers forgiveness. Forgiveness is found in none other than Jesus.

If you are someone who has placed their faith and trust in what Jesus did on the cross when he died for your sins (Romans 5:8), then you are no longer guilty in God’s eyes. Your sins have been washed clean. This doesn’t erase the feeling of guilt. However, God sees you as not guilty because Jesus took the penalty for your sin that separates you from God.

We should all wait

The key verse in Psalm 130 is found in verse 5. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word, I hope. There is hope in God’s word because it is perfect, beautiful, effective, and God is faithful to all His promises. This means that when God promises forgiveness to all who humble themselves before Him and confess their sins, He does it. The psalmist obviously knew God’s word and had a perfect hope in it to describe a God of great mercy. So in verses 5-6 we see where the word”wait” is mentioned 3 times. Sometimes we have to wait because our hope is not in ourselves. This is an anticipation kind of waiting for God to work when He is ready to do so.

Waiting not only teaches us patience, but it also gives us a chance to see and understand God’s wisdom in our circumstances. I don’t know your circumstance today, but God does and He wants to provide immeasurable grace to you. You can have hope in the Lord and hope in His word and hope in His forgiveness and hope in His redemption (vv. 7-8)

I do find it interesting that the psalmist not only is interested in his own forgiveness but the forgiveness of his nation. The word used for redeem is a word that means releasing from prison. He is encouraging Israel to wait for the redemption to come. To wait patiently, but with expectation for redemption. Even the psalmist had a larger view of God’s forgiveness. It wasn’t just personal to him but it was much larger. It was for people he didn’t even know.

Stoplights?

So what does this have to do with “5 points” and stoplights? We have to wait. If we go through a red light we go ahead of the larger plan for the intersection and we fail to learn the patience we need in our lives. But the psalmist here says waiting is part of life when you serve God. He waiting while crying out. He was at a stoplight in his life and was waiting for God to show mercy, forgiveness, and hope because he actually believed God’s word. So the next time you come to a stoplight you think is too long, remember that God has a plan for your life that sometimes means you have to wait.

Some questions…

  1. What sins in your life continue to make you feel guilty?
  2. How can you share this amazing news of forgiveness to others?
  3. What is your plan when it comes to waiting on God to fulfill His promises?
  4. How do you wait on God when His answers are not immediate?