Sun. Apr. 6, 2014 (Brent Siemens)

Brent Siemens spoke on Psalm 130. He introduced us to the hymn book of Psalms as one that tells a story. It starts with chapters that prepare us to pray by centering us on the Word of God, while pointing out that our foes in the world aren't ultimate. The middle set of many laments carries us through the ups-and-downs of life. The final set at the end lead us to say "Halleluja" (Praise the Lord). The Psalmist of 130 is in deep water, in the depths of chaos and disorder. Brent drew a parallel to the pre-creation state of threatening darkness in Genesis 1:2. Eugene Peterson suggests that this Psalm teaches us how to talk to God (not just talk about God). On our own we can't stand before God because of sin. But the good news is that with God there is the forgiveness because of his steadfast love (the Hebrew word "chesed" meaning loving-kindness). What does it mean to wait for the Lord?

1. Wait for God to act. With sovereignty over all, the Lord promises deliverance.
2. Wait for God's presence. David seeks the Lord's face as should we all.
3. Wait for God to demonstrate your trust and faith. In a posture of quiet obedience, wait for Lord more patiently than a watchman for the morning.

Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, April 6th, 2014 using your browser's preferred media player.