Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! 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.” ~Psalm 130
The book of Psalms is a vast and wonderful book. It contains wonderful words of comfort, beautiful expressions of praise, confident words of trust, and points to Jesus Christ. When Martin Luther was asked what the best psalms were, he chose some that we might not have expected. Most of us would probably answer with Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd….”), Psalm 46 (“God is our refuge and strength….”), Psalm 1 (“Blessed is the man….”), or Psalm 119 (Scripture’s longest chapter, which is about God’s Word). Maybe, you would choose a different one. The psalms that Luther chose were 32, 51, 143, and the one above, Psalm 130. He called them “Pauline psalms” because he thought they were like Paul’s epistles. They all showed the realities of sin, but also, God’s grace and salvation. In fact, Psalm 130 was his favorite one.
Psalm 130 is a great psalm for us as we begin a new year. Over the next year, who knows what will happen. We could experience some great blessings, a big loss, or a combination of both. However, while the new year will bring some uncertainties, there are some things that can be absolutely certain. Psalm 130 tells us about them.
As we go through this new year, we have a God Who hears our voice and is attentive to our cries. He sees us in our distresses and problems, and He acts! He comforts! He consoles! He listens and is there for us.
Our God doesn’t just listen, He loves, blesses, and saves. The Psalmist says this about your God: “O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” We can count on God’s steadfast love, and His wonderful salvation that He gives us through Jesus Christ.
While we don’t know what will lie ahead in the new year, and while we won’t know what to fully expect, we can at least count on this: Our loving, merciful, and saving Lord will be with us every step of the way. With this in mind, we can approach the new year boldly, confidently, and joyfully.
Blessings on the new year!
Pastor Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXI, Number 6, January 2020)