{Psalm 130}

Last week sometime I was asked a pretty challenging question...

Let me start by giving you some background. I serve on the Creative Team for Impact, the college/young adult ministry that I attend and serve at. The Creative Team is a group of individuals that we feel has creative ideas and biblical input to challenge each other and pinpoint what it is that Impact as a ministry and the people that attend need to be challenged with. We have been praying about and forming the mission statement and heartbeat of this group and desperately trying to be and stay in the center of God's will for this ministry. We think/pray about the teaching, challenges, creative aspects (logos, stage elements, leadership, etc) and responsibilities. 

Now that I got all of that out I can move forward. Each person on the team was asked to bring a Psalm of your choosing that has challenged you the most and means something to you...be ready to explain it and why it is important to you. I would go to the extent to say that most Christians and even individuals who are not believers read Psalms more than any other book of the Bible. I may be wrong on that, but I would venture to say that I am probably right. I think many people can or try to relate to the crying out of mostly David, not even realizing the place and the destruction in his heart when writing most of these laments. They at times give hope, peace, understanding, and nurturement (I know that's not a word, but work with me here :)  ). I knew most of the people in the group, keep in mind there are only 7 of us...would probably come with well known Psalms...for example, 139, 37, 23, etc. There is no problem with that at all, but I wanted to challenge myself...

You have probably guessed by now, but the Psalm I chose was, Psalm 130... I'll put it in here so you don't have to pull out your Bible....(horrible I know, asking you to open that...whew) Please read my sarcasm there...

Psalm 130

English Standard Version (ESV)

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

130 

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

² 

    O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ 

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

    O Lord, who could stand?

⁴ 

But with you there is forgiveness,

     that you may be feared.

⁵ 

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

    and in his word I hope;

⁶ 

my soul waits for the Lord

    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷ 

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

    and with him is plentiful redemption.

⁸ 

And he will redeem Israel

    from all his iniquities.

Oh, goodness...where do I even start! My heart is so, right there...I want to you get something from this..I want you to desperately grasp the fact that...are you ready for this???? Even in our deepest pit we can cry out to God and be heard! Profound, right? Ha ha now it may not be very profound to you, but this wrecked me, yes in a good way. 

Keep in mind...We do not know the writer of Psalm 130

Here we see expressed:  

• His desires
• His repentance before God
• His attendance upon God
• His expectations of God

Get this, "We are taught to humble ourselves before God, before the justice of God guilty in His sight" -Matthew Henry

I venture to say that you, whomever you are, you have probably at some point felt like you were in a similar place to the writer. That when he says, out of the depths you grasp that... it hits you in your heart...I can say that I have been there, probably not to that extent, lets be real, but in my darkest deepest pit, lets just say...my thought was, "I feel ya!". 

I'm very curious to know your answer to the question I was challenged with...bring a Psalm of your choosing that has challenged you the most and means something to you...be ready to explain it and why it is important to you. Will you write me back and share? Don't feel like you have to go into depth, but I would love to know your heart....