Friday, March 14th
Doug Goodin
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.
It is fitting that in the time of Lent, we turn our focus to the practice of waiting. Whether we address it by any other name, rest, linger, discern, or halt, waiting is not necessarily a strength of us as people. We live in a time and a world where it is far better to stay vigilant and in motion than to bring things to a pause, and yet, we find the psalmist describing a soul which waits for the Lord while calling us to do the same.
We see here the true nature and emotion present through waiting. The psalmist is not simply sitting quietly for God to hear or acknowledge them, but they are crying out, “I have called to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.” We hear time and again the mantra which proclaims “God’s time is not our time,” and while this is true, it is often a sentiment in which it is hard to find comfort. This psalmist knows our grief and our uneasiness that comes from waiting in the silence of an unseen yet still present God. This psalm is not one of only grief and exasperation, but it is one of reassurance for the hope that is present. “O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy; with him there is plenteous redemption.”
Friends, in this season of reflection and preparation, let us not overlook the blessing apparent in waiting on the Lord.
Amen
Click here to download the 2025 Lenten Meditations