Waiting for Daylight

Feeling the full weight of his personal sin before the Lord, the Psalmist moans, "Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord" (Ps 130:1).  He knows that he has fallen so far from where he ought to be, from where God called him to be.

Despite his unique place in history and in the divine plan for the redemption of mankind, Daivid, like the rest of humanity has missed the mark and "fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).  He had failed as a standard bearer for God's people, instead becoming an example of the worst that humanity had to offer as an adulterous murderer.

As falling into darkness goes, it would be hard to dispel more light than he.  He was an absolute failure in his calling as the leader of God's people and as an individual. David, spiritually and emotionally, was surrounded in the darkness of his own personal judgment.

Sound familiar?  I don't necessarily mean David's narrative, although you probably have heard it time and again.  I'm talking about the personal journey into the darkness of self-condemnation and emptying of self esteem.  Have you, do you, are you living in that state?

It's a terrible place, where we can be so hard and so unforgiving of self.  But thankfully, God is not like us.  Far from keeping us in the depths our darkened pit we have crawled into, God brings the promise of light for the burdened spirit - the light of redemption, lifting us out of our sin and failure.

This truth is what gives the Psalmist hope and it is where he looks to instead of his own darkened thoughts about self worth: "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.  I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning" (vv. 5-6).

Watchmen, in ancient times, stood on the city walls at night.  There was darkness all about them.  Uneasiness was always in the air.  The one thing they desired was the coming of daylight.  But they knew daylight was coming, so they watched in the darkness in the hopes of light.

David said that he, even more than they, watched for the light of God's glory even in the darkness of his own sin because God's word of redemption was certain and His Light was coming.  Rather than succumb to the darkness of his own past failure, he lived in hope, waiting for daylight, knowing God's redemption was more certain than the coming sun.  Jus' Say'n.