But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. (Psalm 130:4, NIV)
Sometimes the grandest truths of Scripture are packed into so few words it reminds us of those days when you could cut open a golf ball and unwind the wonders within, right down to the rubber-ball middle and whatever that liquid was that came oozing out. Such is the case with the few verses that comprise Psalm 130. We’ll explore a few today and reserve some of our discovery for next time.
True turning comes not because we are exposed before God, but because he covers our exposure. True turning comes because we recognize that we have a place to turn.A golfer, if she is to grow increasingly competitive against the expanding field of talent around her, will need to learn to forgive herself. The game has never been played perfectly and never will be. Even on those rare days when a player says she got “everything” out of the round, there is the recognition that on other days she has holed unlikely shots or made longer putts and posted a score even lower than this. So if you are going to digest your dinner and find reasonable sleep, you have to walk away from those imperfections and go on to tomorrow.
But what about the imperfections of our lives? A dropped plate we can forgive. But a dropped guard, when our emotions run hot and we tear a relationship right down the middle with hurtful words—can we ever back up from such sin? can we forgive ourselves? can our friend forgive us? can God?
In the third verse of Psalm 130, the psalmist recognized the frailty of our position before the holiness of God: “If you, O LORD, kept a record of our sins, O Lord, who could stand?” The seriousness of our indiscretions cuts the legs out from under us. We can make no defense. Thus the opener of the psalm:
Out of the depths I cry to you,
O LORD;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
In our sin, we have every reason to fear the Lord. And yet there is more.
We find in our verse of focus today that beyond our sin set against the holiness of God, we come to fear him because of his forgiveness. His love reduces us to our contrite end.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul latched on to this idea when he noted that it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance (see Romans 2:4). True turning comes not because we are exposed before God, but because he covers our exposure. True turning comes because we recognize that we have a place to turn. In this context, we see the fullness of Jesus’ words, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Drawn to the work of the cross, we turn to Jesus.
—
Jeff Hopper
August 27, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Ascending: Common Complaints (Psalm 120)
Ascending: In God’s Care (Psalm 121)
Ascending: Joy and Peace in Fellowship (Psalm 122)
Ascending: The Mercy We Need (Psalm 123)
Ascending: How Great An Escape (Psalm 124)
Ascending: Stark Lines (Psalm 125)
Ascending: Sorrow and Joy (Psalm 126)
Ascending: Work and Home (Psalm 127)
Ascending: ‘Blessed’ (Psalm 128)
Ascending: Set Free (Psalm 129)
Ascending: Our Waiting, Impatient Soul (Psalm 131)
Ascending: Despite Our Sin (Psalm 132)
Ascending: Together in Christ (Psalm 133)
Ascending: Earth to Heaven, Heaven to Earth (Psalm 134)