Lenten Daily Reflection 2020-04-01
Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
“My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning.” My understanding of this phrase is that night and morning are metaphors for fear and hope and I wonder if one really excludes the other. We certainly find ourselves now beset by fear of an invisible, inexorable, terrible threat, but it doesn’t feel as if we are crouching behind the battlements, waiting and hoping that some day some dawn will shine and all will be different. For me, faith in the Lord and his mercy is a source of strength and humility throughout this long night and to wait for the Lord is to be aware of the human struggle and suffering all around us and to believe that commitment to our fellow human beings has meaning.