Advent Week 1: Prophecy & Longing – the Old Testament Story

Nov 30       Monday of the First Week of Advent

 

Psalm 130 (ESV)

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

¹ 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.

 

 

Meditation:

• Imagine yourself as a watchman (guard) assigned to keep watch all night. What do you see and how do you feel?
• What is the relationship between hope and waiting?
• How will you obey the command to put your hope in the LORD?
• Read this psalm slowly and meditatively as your prayer to the Lord today.