Ps 130:5-6 "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." NIV

What is happening in your soul today? Is it at peace? Is there a whirlwind of anxious striving? In Psalm 130:5-6 the psalmist is calling us to a place of rest. Is your hope in your wisdom, your strength, your connections or maybe your money? Put your hope in the word of God! Verse 5 is a statement of faith from the heart of the psalmist “in His word I put my hope.” When the pressure is on, when you need answers, when there is a major decision to make, turn your eyes to God’s word and your relationship with Him! Do not let your heart be disturbed by the circumstances you are facing. God is greater than every trial that will come your way.

Jesus demonstrated and taught a life of peace in the face of great conflict and trial. He was consistently surrounded by outward pressures, the needs of the multitudes and the carnality and failings of his own staff – His disciples! Yet in the midst of all of that He confidently tells His disciples in John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” Jesus knows the death that awaits Him and yet he confidently tells his followers “…do not let your hearts be troubled.” This is particularly amazing when we consider the context of this comment. Jesus says immediately after telling Peter that He will deny the Lord three times. Imagine the grace that was on the Lord’s heart to go through this process. Essentially he says in one sentence “Peter you are about to betray me…” and in the very next sentence he turns to the whole group and basically says “but don’t be troubled… trust God and trust me!”

We are called to rest from our striving. We are invited to rest in the Lord with confidence. Jesus uses this situation in Jn. 14:1 to introduce the disciples to a deeper understanding of the oneness between He and the Father and the role of the Holy Spirit in working in the heart of those who believe. His goal is to transition His disciples from a life of walking with Him in the flesh to a life of walking with the Father by the Spirit. He concludes John 14:25-27 by saying "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus prepares the disciples for the difficult season that is ahead by showing them where to turn and connecting them to the reality that He has already made provision for them and their needs. In their hour of need Jesus points them to the fact that the Father is going to send the Counselor to be there for them.

In the same Spirit of faith in God that the Psalmist points towards as he commits to waiting before the Father Jesus, tells His disciples in Acts 1:4 "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Watch and wait for the Lord! Do not act in your own strength and wisdom. Wait for the Holy Spirit and His counsel to direct you into the path of life and peace.

Psalm 130:3-4 - December 8, 2009

Ps 130:3-4 "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." NIV

Here is some good news: You don’t have to be perfect, just forgiven! Psalm 130:3-4 is a celebration of God’s merciful kindness! The Word of God clearly states that there is no one who is righteous in their own strength. Rom 3:10 declares our need before God: “As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one.” Isaiah takes this thought into even more graphic terms as he speaks of man’s desperate condition and says in Isa 64:6 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” NIV.

In His great mercy God has provided us the gift of righteousness that we could never earn in our own effort. It was prophesied from ages past when in Jer 51:10 Jeremiah declared “The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.”KJV God has done it! God has given us the gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ! As the Psalmist declares by implication: God keeps no record of sin for the repentant heart! With God there is great forgiveness because He has done the work of providing for us redemption through the substitutionary death of His Son Jesus Christ.

Paul describes this precious gift in Rom 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:” KJV The righteousness that God has provided for His people has been revealed through the work of His Son on the cross. By this great act forgiveness has been provided. Through this great act our hearts can find peace with God. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 130:4; “if God kept a record of sin “who could stand?” We could never present ourselves before God as holy vessels by the power of our own good works. No one could stand in His presence. But because of the forgiveness provided for us in Christ we are exhorted in He. 4:16 to “come boldly before the throne of grace.” The Psalmist saw by the Spirit the great measure of the forgiveness of God and declares it to us as “good news” from heaven.

Psalm 128:1-4 - December 6, 2009

Ps 128:1-4 “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD." NIV

Psalm 128:1-4 is a psalm that every believer should build their faith and thinking upon! Do you fear the Lord? Do you walk in His ways? Then this verse is for you! Let it shape your expectations. Let it direct your prayers. There is great promise for all of those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.

Have you ever been in a dry season where you have questioned the sanity of all the things that you have done as a result of faith? Have you spent extended seasons laboring in obedience before the Lord only to see less return than you had expected. This passage is for you! Verse 2 carries a precious promise for those who are weary in well doing and for those who are just beginning their life journey in the things of the Spirit. “You will eat the fruit of your labor…” We do not have to live in fear that our labors have been or will be for nothing. The Lord’s promise is sure. If we walk in obedience and faithfulness before the Lord the reward is sure!

Not only does this passage provide assurance of God’s response to a faithful heart it speaks clearly to us of how our expectations should be formed and our faith directed. The fruit of faithful labor in the Lord is centered on a few primary facets: “blessing and prosperity will be yours…” is the first facet of the reward of God. The Lord is faithful in the realms of both material and emotional reward. Happiness in a context of abundant provision is the promise of God. The promise of God does not stop with these things however. The fruit of living in holy fear impacts the quality of our family life. The hope provided in verse 3 is that every member of the family is blessed and affected by the choice to live in the fear of the Lord. This is the blessing that comes to those who follow.

The true fear of the Lord is reflected in every sphere of life. How we think, how we communicate in our relationships, our decision making, our ambitions and goals all demonstrate the measure to which we fear the Lord. Verse four provides for us a great measure of comfort as we embark on this journey as it concludes this theme by restating once again: “Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.” Raise your expectations of the reward of a life lived in the fear of God and remind the Lord of His promises as you shape your life with the expectation of blessing on your resources, emotions and family members.