Psalms 130:1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
The most eminent of God's saints have been in the depths; wherefore, then, should I murmur if I have to endure trials? What am I that I should be exempt from warfare? How can I expect to win the crown without first carrying the cross? David saw the depths, and so must you and I. But David learned to cry to God out of the depths. Learn hence that there is no place so deep but prayer can reach from the bottom of it up to God's ear, and then God's long arm can reach to the bottom and bring us up. out of the depth. «Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.» Do not say, «Out of the depths have I talked to my neighbours, and sought consolation from my friends.»
«Were half the breath thus vainly spent, To heaven in supplication sent,
Your cheerful song would often be Hear what the Lord hath done for me.»
Psalms 130:2. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
Now a main part of prayer must be occupied by confession, and the Psalmist proceeds therefore:
Psalms 130:3. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
That is to say, apart from Christ, if God exercises his justice to its utmost severity, the best of men must fall, for the best of man, being men at the best, are sinners even at their best estate.
Psalms 130:4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
If there were no mercy, there would be no love in any human heart, and there would be an end to religion if there were an end to forgiveness. Here let us observe that the best of men dare not stand before an absolute God, that the holiest of God's saints need to be accepted on the footing of a Mediator and to receive forgiveness of sins.
Psalms 130:5. I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
There is a waiting of expectancy; we believe that he is about to give us the mercy, and hold out the hand for it. There is a waiting of resignation; we know not what God may do, nor when he may appear, but we wait. Aaron held his peace. Tis a great virtue to wait for God when we know not What he does, but to wait his own explanations, and be content to go without explanations if he does not choose to give them.
Psalms 130:6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
And many a mariner has watched, for the morning with an awful anxiety, for he could not know where his vessel was until the day should break. Many a weary patient, tossed upon the bed of pain, has waited for the morning, saying, «Would God it were morning, for then, perhaps, I might find ease.» And you know that sometimes the watchers upon the castle-top, who have to be guarding the ramparts against the adversary by night, watch for the morning. So does David's soul watch. Lord, if I may not have thee, permit me to watch for thee. Oh! there is some happiness even in waiting for an absent God. I recollect that Rutherford says, «I do not see how I can be unhappy, for if Christ will not love me, if he will but permit me to love him, and I feel I cannot help doing that, the loving of him will be heaven enough for me.» Waiting for God is sweet, inexpressibly delightful.
«To those who call, how kind thou art, how good to those who seek;
But what to those who find? Ah! this, nor tongue nor pen can show,
The love of Jesus, what it is, none but his loved ones know.»
Happy are they who, having waited patiently, at last behold their God.
Psalms 130:7-19. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
He shall do this in a double and perfect way; he shall redeem us from the effect of all our iniquities through the atoning sacrifice, and from the power of all iniquity by his sanctifying Spirit. They are without fault before the throne of God. I will purge their blood that I have not cleansed, saith the Lord that dwelleth in Zion. May my soul have a part and lot in this precious promise!
This exposition consisted of readings from Psalms 130:1; 1 John 1:4-7.