Psalms 130:1-8: a reflection

1Out of the depths I have cried to you, LORD. 2Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my petitions. 3If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared. 5I wait for the LORD. My soul waits. I hope in his word. 6My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7Israel, hope in the LORD, for there is loving kindness with the LORD. Abundant redemption is with him. 8He will redeem Israel from all their sins.

From the depths of distress, the psalmist cries to God, and finds the ground of his hope in God's forgiveness. If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? he asks; but then comes the turn: But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared. If God held a record of our sins against us, none of us could stand before him; but he does not. There is forgiveness with him, and that forgiveness is the ground of hope even from the depths. God does not keep a ledger of our sins to hold against us; there is forgiveness with him, and abundant redemption.

Notice the ground of the psalmist's hope: God's forgiveness. He knows that if God kept a record of sins, no one could stand; the weight of our sins would condemn us all. But he also knows that God does not keep such a record to hold against us; there is forgiveness with him. This is the ground of hope from the depths: not that we have no sins, but that God forgives them, that with him is loving kindness and abundant redemption. The psalmist's hope rests not on his own record, which could not stand, but on God's forgiveness, which does not hold his sins against him. Forgiveness with God is the reason he can hope even from the depths.

That is worth resting in, for God's forgiveness, that he does not hold a record of our sins against us, is the ground of our hope. We can be crushed by the weight of our sins, knowing that if God kept a record of them, we could not stand; and we can despair from the depths. But the psalmist found that there is forgiveness with God, that he does not hold our sins against us, that with him is abundant redemption. Our hope rests not on our own record but on God's forgiveness. When you are crushed by the weight of your sins, do not despair as though God kept a record to hold against you; there is forgiveness with him, and that is the ground of hope. Rest your hope, even from the depths, on God's forgiveness, that he does not keep a record of your sins against you but offers abundant redemption, as the psalmist found there is forgiveness with the LORD; for if God kept a record of sins none could stand, but there is forgiveness with him, and that forgiveness is the ground of our hope.

Lord, from the depths of distress, the psalmist cries to you, and finds the ground of his hope in your forgiveness. If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? he asks; but then comes the turn: but there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared. If you held a record of our sins against us, none of us could stand before you; but you do not. There is forgiveness with you, and that forgiveness is the ground of hope even from the depths. Show me the ground of the psalmist's hope: your forgiveness. He knows that if you kept a record of sins, no one could stand; the weight of our sins would condemn us all. But he also knows that you do not keep such a record to hold against us; there is forgiveness with you. This is the ground of hope from the depths: not that we have no sins, but that you forgive them, that with you is loving kindness and abundant redemption. The psalmist's hope rested not on his own record, but on your forgiveness. Let me rest in that, for your forgiveness, that you do not hold a record of my sins against me, is the ground of my hope. I can be crushed by the weight of my sins, knowing that if you kept a record of them, I could not stand; and I can despair from the depths. But the psalmist found that there is forgiveness with you. My hope rests not on my own record but on your forgiveness. When I am crushed by the weight of my sins, keep me from despairing as though you kept a record to hold against me; there is forgiveness with you, Lord. Help me rest my hope, even from the depths, on your forgiveness and abundant redemption.