The author of Psalm 130 knows something. In fact, there are three things that he knows particularly well.
He knows what low is – he calls it “the depths” and he’s talking about his guilt – his depravity. Forget everyone else’s iniquities – all the ways they’ve sinned – he knows he’s no better. (v. 3)
But he knows something else, too.
Take a look at the passage and mark the places where it says “with you” or “with the Lord” or “with him”. What did you find? While the author knows that his sin separates him from God, he also knows the incomparable benefits of being “with God”.
Forgiveness.
Steadfast love.
Plentiful redemption.
All of the things that make all of the difference.
The third thing he knows – the simple truth that blesses my soul today?
Verse 6 says: “my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.”
Not only is he eager to be “with God”, he expresses His certainty that He will come. Just as sure as the sun will rise, the Lord is coming – and with Him is forgiveness, steadfast love, and plentiful redemption.
What do you know this morning, sisters? Do you know your own guilt? And more than that, do you know the certainty that the Lord is near, and with Him are all of the things that make all of the difference?
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63 thoughts on "repentance"
This is such a comfort for me today. I have been struggling with guilt today, though I have confessed and know He is ever loving, I still feel horribly AT&T I have yet again disappointed Him, but He doesn't think the way we think? I am so grateful for she read truth,say a prayer for a sister
To wait expectantly of Him, for Him, with Him and to have hope in His word. To know His love for me is real and incredible. Soothes my soul tremendously.
Sisters, I heard this song on the radio today. I've heard it many times before, but today it brought me to the brink of tears. I hope it touches/speaks to you today, as it did me. God Bless all of you beautiful, strong women!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzGAYNKDyIU
"Redeemed"- Big Daddy Weave
Looking forward to listening to it…couldn't do it on my current device, but so appreciate your sharing.
Absolutely beautiful song bring me to tears. thanks for sharing Lauren.
This is my current Favorite song! It makes my heart overflow to think about his love and grace for me!!
What a wonderful song to accompany today's devotion! Thank you for sharing. The words are so very powerful!
Blessings to all today! As watchmen wait for the morning, my Goddaughter waits to hold her newborn (4 days old) son who is in a neonatal unit. Please include this family in your prayers. Thanks.
Praying for that precious baby and the family. So hard to wait to hold your baby.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the redemption and the protection I gain from knowing you. Thank you for hearing my cry, and blessing me to overflowing. Thank you for the hope in your word. I wait for you. Amen
My prayer for today is that in every moment of my life – good, bad, or indifferent – I would "…long for The Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn." Lord I want every fiber of myself to long for you and only you… Even in this season of trial and tribulation, I want to long for you.
Praying for you, Alyssa.
Praying this along with you and for you, Alyssa.
I think it's important to find balance between recognizing our sinfulness and accepting God's love for us anyway.
And so often difficult to juggle those two balls. I find myself dropping one or the other daily. So glad God keeps no record of my inability to balance. Blessings, Lindy.
Lord hear me today. That I need you to overcome the anxiety and fear that is gripping my heart. I feel I’m being prepared for something, but I don’t know what!? Please watch over us, keep us close.
In Jesus name, amen!
Heavenly father, breathe through Ellen with your Holy Spirit and surround her with your peace. Amen
Ellen MR, praying with you that the bonds of anxiety and fear will be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit. Praising God as He works through you, prepares you….it is so hard to watch and wait, but light will break and The Morning of His work in you will dawn. Praying that when that light comes you will share with this community as a witness to His grace.
Ellen, I am too going through a battle of anxiety and fear and also feel that God is preparing me for something. I think this battle is a step of preparation. He wants us to learn the tools of warfare. It is not easy. It is a daily struggle and it is so overwhelming. But, everywhere I look He keeps bringing Scripture to me that says Be Courageous, Do Not Fear. Ps. 27:14, Joshua 1:9 and many others. When you've fought as hard as you can and done all you know to do, just Stand Firm knowing He is fighting for you and Trust Him. Easier said than done at times, but I am walking this road with you. I'll be praying for you.
Ellen we are praying for you dear friend in Jesus' name! "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!" Isaiah 26:3 "But when I am afraid I will put my trust in You." Psalm 56:3. Guard your thoughts and speak the Word when you are overwhelmed. You are strong because God is with you and IN you and His protection of His people is like:
1. A rock that can't be moved!
2. A fortress the enemy can't break through.
3. A shield that comes between us and harm.
4. A horn of salvation – might and power!
5. A stronghold high above our enemies!
"The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, and my Savior, my God is my Rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me and my place of safety." Psalm 18:2
What a beautiful message.
I am going through a time of tribulation for things I have written and said to people who have hurt me. I am humbled that our Lord and Savior can still love & forgive us. And I am thankful to have been guided to this site.
Oh, Jenn, I hear the pain in your posting. Knowing God will walk with you through this and praying the forgiveness you have experienced will splash over into the hearts of those who hurt you and also allow you to forgive them. Blessings on you today.
Hang in there Jenn. You are loved!!
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT)
"For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."
I love today's verse about godly sorrow. Aren't you so thankful that God is not afraid of our sorrow?? That it doesn't surprise Him? We can be safely navigate through our sorrow when we stay close to the Father who steers the ship. Plus, it has the potential to produce something truly beautiful in us when it draws us closer to God and His word and develops character in us! AND… don't we just appreciate those times of sweet joy when we've gone through a time of painful sorrow?! God is so good.
Lamentations 3:32-33 (NLT)
"Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow."
Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NLT)
"Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us."
Oh, JuneBug, your post touches just where I needed it today,
"Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us."
We need both, but it always seems sorrow strips us bare of all worldly defenses allowing God to cover us with his love and grace, bringing us closer to the image of Christ.
Emily, my daughter too is gay but I have learned to love her and to just proclaim the gospel to her whenever possible. Only God can work his wonders on her. We are all sinners and in our despair we cry out and look up and know that he is God and he is in control and "all things will work together for good for those who love him and are called to his purpose." Stay strong sisters!
Well said. Have a blessed day, Cecile.
I am new to She Reads Truth, but I am excited to get started on the reading plan – hoping for a little accountability to get me out of bed in the morning! Anyway, what stood out to me today was that though I am so sinful, God does not hold that against me because I trust in Him . . . but also that the "depths" and trials that the psalmist was going through were being used to draw him closer to God! I think sometimes when things aren't going right in my life I tend to wonder what I did "wrong", if there is some sin in my life that God is trying to bring to my attention – and there may be, but it's not a punishment, because God doesn't hold my sin against me any longer. He uses the things I am going through to bring me closer to Him, so that my soul will "wait for the Lord, More than those who watch for morning"! I don't think you get to that same place of clinging to Him when everything is going right. It's comforting to know He is there, and He is working through trials, even if it's mainly in me.
Watching for morning–how many times in my life I have spent restless nights doing that? I would love to say during those times I was praying, and sometimes I did, but mostly I was stewing over failures, problems, my kids problems, work…you name it..I have stewed over it. Your reflection puts a new face on watching for morning. Not just get me to the light of day, but believing He will be in the morning, pulling me out of this pit, I jumped or fell into, and setting me on His solid ground, in His light. His mercies are new every morning. Blessings on you, Callie, thanks for sharing.
Welcome! I've read a few of SRT's reading plans through YouVersion's app, but this is the first time I have participated in the community of this site. It's just wonderful, plain and simple! I know what you mean about wondering what I did "wrong" when bad things happen. I have placed so much shame on myself through the years for this and that but have finally realized, like you said, that God doesn't hold my sin against me any longer. I think the first person we have to forgive is ourselves. The first person we have to love is ourselves. When we can finally be still and quiet and just wait for the Lord – that's where He wants us, not stressed out trying to figure out what we did wrong, not stewing over things as Carolynmimi said. Not beating ourselves up over mistakes & self-imposed shame. If we acknowledge our sin, recognize the lesson He has for us in it, and accept His forgiveness – then we are set up perfectly to extend that same forgiveness to others. Hope you are blessed by this community, Callie!
My heart is heavy …for the most part I accept that my daughter is living the gay lifestyle, but then something else comes up. Her alma mater, the high school where my husband worked as well, where we called home for 18 years is under fire for not allowing boys to wear heels with their tuxes to prom, and the girls to wear tuxes. She put this on facebook and it just stings. I have to remember that God is big enough to redeem her. I need to watch for The Lord and not get discouraged. And I confess, I want people to understand that their behavior is wrong. To repent from their sin. Is that bad of me ? Well….am working through it this morning. So glad this site isn't linked to any others.
Feeling better. Not loving it…but it just has to work for His glory. And those that will be judged are not my concern. Only God can fix this world.
Accepting the road someone we love chooses to follow simply cannot shield us from barbs they hurl. Oh, the barbs are not necessarily directed at us but often at things we respect or hold dear. Sometimes the venom spewed splashes us right in the face. Sometimes the venom spewed results from the nagging convicting voice of the HOLY SPIRIT and may be a sign that He is working to restore. I don't know you or your daughter, but I know God does. And, I know that as today's scripture says, none of us can stand under the weight of our sins..but He forgives. He, too, knows the rebellion of a daughter, me, and He knows the venom I once spewed on believers, and yet I write today that I am forgiven. Praying for you and your family, Emily P.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your words were perfect…that's exactly how I feel.
Luv,
Em
Dear lord, help me to rest only in You today, to focus on You. i wait for You. ni Jesus' name, Amen!
Praying with you and for you. He is our rock.
Amen.
Beautiful song, Autumn Dawn Leader! Thank you for sharing with us.
Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things you are more than conquerors through him who loved you… For I am sure that neither death nor life, not angels nor rulers, not things present nor things to come, nor powers, not height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”- Rm 8:35-37
This is so profound for me. So freeing. It was’t until I received this in my spirit that I could begin to forgive others who I believed had fallen short.
Such a blessing to know we don’t have to run and hide like Adam, whatever it is we can take it to Jesus in prayer.
Jesus, soooo many times I have messed up, fallen short, as a human being, as a mom, as an employer, as a companion, as a friend…. but your love beckons me to come… not to withdraw. I fall into your arms to find love, peace, and chasening(for he chasens those he loves). So comforting to know that there is a place I can always come.
Today Lord, not in my strength but in yours I will maintain the same open door policy with those you love. Amen. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
He is our rock, an ever present refuge in times of brokenness. His forgiveness heals us so we can with Him extend forgiveness to others. You are so right on, Rocknita!
Beautiful prayer. Thank you.
You are so, so right. We have to first receive the knowledge, deep down into our souls, that nothing we ever do, think, or say will ever separate us from the love of Christ when we ask for His love & forgiveness. This has not always been easy for me to accept, I'm sorry to say. And then we have to understand, deep down into our souls, that this SAME love extends to absolutely everyone who asks. Even those who hurt us, disappoint us, annoy us, make us angry, cut us off in traffic, pass judgment on us, ignore us, laugh at us, abandon us, etc, etc, etc. One of my focuses – foci? LOL – this Lenten season has been to start extending the same grace and forgiveness to others that the Lord has extended to me: fully and without a grudge. It's not easy, not by a long shot, and I have clearly felt Satan testing me and I've failed that test many times. It has been most difficult when I've felt hurt by the ones I love. It should be easy to extend grace and forgiveness to the ones I love, but I find myself holding them to a higher standard – my own standard when I should be praying for God's standard. I am finally learning that the only way to live is to be a vessel for God's grace & forgiveness. This is how I want to live. "Forget other people's iniquities… I know I'm no better." If Romans 8: 35-37 applies to me, it applies to us all.
All of these things DO make all of the difference, all of the time.
In Him there is Hope.
In Him there is steadfast Love.
Thank you, Lord!
Have a blessed day! There is a difference being in Christ..all the time.
Love the “with Him” focus for the Psalm reading! With Him we sure do have everything we need, don’t we! Have a blessed day, sisters!
Amen! WITH HIM! Shouting it from the rooftops..via SRT
Amen to what Ingrid said!!!! Praying for all of you today. Thankful to start my day here!
Have a blessed day, Hayley.
Thank you. It's so encouraging to know people are thinking about you and praying for you! I go back and read the rest of the comments at night. So I am praying for you as well.
Thank you Jesus for your word to reminded me that at calvery i was redeemed you set me free, free from my pass, free from the pain, free from the guilt that would cause me to be ashamed no more chains are binding me, am totally free. All because of jesus……
Amen!
Amen and amen!!! What comfort to find the truth that The Lord offers forgiveness, steadfast love, and PLENTIFUL redemption!!
As we have been watching The Bible, my husband made a comment (that we have discussed many times before) that the "heroes" of the Old Testment were not the "good" people we might have thought they were when we read about them as kids in bible stories. That is so true. But, God loved the doubters, the sinners, those with faltering faith anyway. We can find so much of ourselves in these stories. They were sinners, plain and simple. They needed a redeemer to bring them closer to God. So do we. Thank you, Jesus, for your redeeming blood that– though we are sinners– we can have a personal relationship with a forgiving Heavenly Father!!
Yes, the bible really is a story of being redeemed. Of bringing us back to a relationship with Him. Thank you Lord ;)
AmyKelly, I so agree with you. God chose the most flawed people for His greatest works in the Old Testament and then God in Christ continued the trend, fishermen, women, Saul (Paul)–who chooses their most outspoken dangerous enemy? I have always loved delving into the low moments of these God chose, because it gives me so much comfort and reinforces my hope.
My family has been watching too! It is amazing to be reminded that the people God used greatly were not perfect! They were just like us, in need of a savior!
Amen. He is simply so good..
As promised, I have a video for this Song of Ascents. :) Here is Psalm 130, "Out Of The Depths": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PHFBsp1PXI (This is my personal favourite of the four songs/videos I have done for this series).
I'm so grateful that I can call out to God from my depths. The depths of depravity, yes. The depths of despair. The depths of depression. The depths. The depths of MYSELF! The abyss. And, in Him I find full redemption. In Him I meet wholeness that swallows up my brokenness.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits!
Thank you for that video. It was beautiful. I enjoyed worshipping to it this morning as part of my devotional time.
this was so beautiful!
"In Him I meet wholeness that swallows up my brokenness." What an incredible word picture of Christ wrapping his arms around each of us, dirty, stiff, battered as we are. He embraces us in a way that involves all our senses and thoroughly comforts, accepts, and protects. Have a beautiful day, Songmistress.
I, too, am forever grateful that I can call out to God from my depths, no matter how deep. In full honesty. And He welcomes it every time. I feel you, sister! I hope you have felt blessed today; your posts are certainly a blessing to us all.
All good and perfect gifts come from above…therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
Thank God for the gifts of salvation, repentance, and redemption. His mercies are new every morning and He does not despise a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart.
Cynthia, you hit the nail on the head…ALL good and perfect gifts come from Above. No matter what we can encounter, His gifts are real and present.