Thursday, December 11, 2014

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HOPING IN THE LORD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HOPING IN THE LORD"

Psalm 130:1 “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;”

Psalm 130:2 “Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.”

Psalm 130:3 “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”

Psalm 130:4 “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.”

Psalm 130:6 “My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Psalm 130:7 “O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.”

Psalm 130:8 “And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”

Taken from today's reading in "The One Year Bible”.

1. God hears us when we cry to Him out of the depths.

Psalm 130:1 “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;”

Psalm 130:2 “Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.”

David found himself in the depths, just like we do.
He cried to the Lord and the Lord heard him, just as He does you also.
God is very attentive to us, He listens, He hears us when we pray.

2. God does not mark our iniquities (He forgives and forgets them).

Psalm 130:3 “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”

Psalm 130:4 “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”

David understood that God does not keep a record of our sins.
If God did, who would ever survive?
Instead, what God does is He forgives. He offers this to us.
He does this (forgiving) so He may be feared.

3. We can wait upon the Lord and Hope in His Word.

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.”

Psalm 130:6 “My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Here is something we can do, and God calls us to it.
Like David, we can wait on the Lord. or wait for Him.
He is not on our schedule, but on His.
God is faithful and never early or late, but always right on time.

We not only can wait but we can hope in the Lord.
The two really go together.
David uses the example of those who are waiting for the morning to come.
They know it will come, it always does.
We can wait and hope in the Lord, He always comes through.

4. We wait for our God who is so merciful and is our redeemer, and who will redeem us.

Psalm 130:7 “O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.”

Psalm 130:8 “And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”

Again, a call to hope in the Lord.
The reason? Because He is so merciful.
Because He is our redeemer.
Because of His unfailing love.
Because of the overflowing supply of salvation.
God Himself is the one who will free us from every kind of sin.

Questions:

1. Aren't these great and encouraging verses?

2. Can you see the many great truths about our God?

3. Do you need to talk with Him today about your troubles?

4. Do you know He will hear You and help You?

5. Do you have some particular sin that you want to repent of and be set free from?

6. Will you come to God today, believe what His Word says, and ask Him to set you free?

7. Do you believe He can do it? Will You ask Him right now? And will You then obey Him as He leads You?

A Prayer:

Father, the Psalms are such a blessing to our souls. They speak to us so deeply. They encourage us so much.
Thank You for giving them to us. Perhaps they are read more than any other books in the Bible.
When we read them, something always seems to come through and hit home with us.
Our prayer is that You would find us not just listening, but responding in obedience to what You are telling us to do.
Obedience is like a doorway that when walked through takes us into a beautiful garden. That garden is a deeper walk with You. So, Lord, show us the doors You want us to walk through, and we will do it. Help us to follow through, Lord.
In Your powerful name we pray, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia