Wait in Faith
Psalm 130 seems to offer a straightforward message, doesn’t it? Things are bad. God can make them better. I am waiting for God to turn things around, and you should too. I feel that we have been telling and re-telling this story to ourselves endlessly as things in the world just seem to get worse. We still don’t look after each other as we should, we continue to make war and now we are even reluctant to rescue the earth and ourselves from climate catastrophe. Throughout all of this (and more), those who wait with hope and faith in God appear to be dwindling in number. We have become peculiar people who try to live a life of Friday, Saturday and Sunday even though we seem to be constrained to slipping back and forth between Friday and Saturday and we never quite make it to Sunday. Yes, things are bad.
When I was working and I had an office with walls, I posted a small quote that inspired me when times were tough.
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark” (Rabindranath Tagore).
If I had been aware of Psalm 130, I might have instead posted my favourite line from it.
“…my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.”
There was time in my life when I worked the night shift in a factory for weeks on end, while I struggled with a day-time course at university. I can remember waiting and watching for the morning and I recall the small degree of comfort I felt when the daylight finally appeared as it always does.
I guess that those who try to wait with faith are like the bird or the watcher. Things may be bad, but “with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.” May it be so.
May the Lord bring comfort to those who wait and watch in hope. Strengthen their faith that the darkness will be redeemed with light.
Eric Hall