(Today’s devotional is written by Dr. Darrell Pearson, our regular English speaker.)
Over two decades ago a baby fell into a well in Texas, and the story quickly grabbed the attention of the nation and the world as rescuers attempted to pull “baby Jessica” from the deep well. It took 58 hours, but rescuers were successful, and the 18 month old girl escaped with surprisingly few injuries—she lost a toe, and had a permanent scar on her forehead from the ordeal. It was one of those stories that you couldn’t help following closely, hoping and praying that the child would survive the situation.
The Psalmist is number 130 begins with the image of being caught in the “depth” of despair. “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cries for mercy.”
Every human has been in the depths of despair at one time or another, and so we easily relate to the psalm writer’s predicament. We too are overwhelmed not just by the presence of physical situations that are perilous, but the peril of our own shortcomings and sin.
3 & 4: “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who, O Lord, could stand? But with you, there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared.” Every human being thinks about this record of wrong: the sum of those sins that are vast over one’s life. We do our best to forget them, but we can’t; we know our history, we know where we’ve come up short, and we fear that we will not be forgiven. But the good news of God does not leave us in those sins!
5 & 6: “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits. And in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Just as a person waits in the dark, maybe fearful and afraid, but knowing the morning is coming, we know that our only true hope lies in the Lord Himself. And, of course, He delivers for us!
7 & 8: “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love, and with Him is full redemption. He Himself will redeem Israel from all her sins.” Not partial redemption, not a just a hint of daylight, not empty hope, but complete confidence that as long as one puts his or her hope in the LORD that library full of sins will be taken care of and removed. At the depth of our worst despair, we discover that in the LORD those sins are not held against us. The story of Easter is about the redemption we experience through God’s work of redemption on the cross. Amazing!
Several weeks ago “baby” Jessica turned 25. In an interview, news reporters asked her about what she remembers from the incident so long ago. She has no memory whatsoever of her 58 hours in the depth of that well. The terrible and frightening ordeal does not live with her in the present. In the same way, we know that our sins of the past, our time in the deep wells of despair, has been removed. We live with the memory of our sins blotted out by the one who gave Himself for us.
Prayer: “O Lord, we try to forget our sins and shortcomings, but they remain with us and in our memories. Remind us of your faithfulness in redeeming us from our sinful pasts. Praise you for your redemption you offer us in Christ Jesus!”
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