If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.” vss. 3-4
Psalm 130
If, by the grace of God, we have reached a point in life where we have given up on the folly of blaming others and are able to humbly confess our own sinfulness we are still left with the burden of our iniquities. We can even find ourselves so close to the bottom of the barrel that we despair of ever knowing joy in living again. That’s where the psalmist was, and out of those depths he cried out to the Lord, his only source of hope. He knew that God didn’t keep score, that God did not tally up a list of our sins to be used against us on Judgement Day. It’s interesting though, that even though he knows that God is gracious, he is not presumptuous, and his knowledge alone is not enough to lift him out of the depths. So he tells us that he’s waiting with hope until the day he will feel forgiveness. There’s great truth here, something that most of us know well. When we are in despair because of how we’ve lived, even knowledge of God’s love isn’t enough to lift us. And so we wait! The good news is that forgiveness will come, perhaps when we don’t expect it. On that day the words of absolution will not only be heard, they’ll be felt, and we will know for sure that the slate has been wiped clean.
Thought for the Day: When did forgiveness become more than words for me?
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