Psalm 130

There’s a deep joy in gathering with God’s people and sitting under His Word. One of the church’s chief purposes is to teach that Word. Jesus’ Great Commission wasn’t just to go and make converts, but to “teach them everything I have commanded you.”

Teaching isn’t confined to the pulpit—it happens in homes, in conversations, and in our own reading and meditation.

This week’s passage, Psalm 130, reminds us that the Christian life is one of continual repentance—not a single event at conversion, but an ongoing turning from sin and returning to the Lord.

Repentance Doesn’t End at Salvation

The gospel call is clear: “Repent and believe.” But repentance doesn’t end there. The believer’s life is a daily fight against sin, an active turning toward righteousness. Scripture repeatedly commands us to flee temptation, put sin to death, and pursue holiness—not to earn salvation, but because we have been saved.

God’s law is not a burden; it’s freedom. It exposes sin, yes, but it also points us to grace and teaches us to live in the liberty of obedience.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy.”

— Psalm 130:1-2

Here we find a believer—not an unbeliever—crying out from the depths. This is not a first-time plea for salvation, but the cry of someone who knows God and yet feels the weight of remaining sin.

The Cry of a Believer

There’s no indication that the psalmist committed a particular “great sin.” Rather, he seems freshly aware of his ongoing sinfulness. Every Christian knows that feeling: reading Scripture, being struck again by the holiness of God, and realizing how short we fall.

That conviction isn’t a sign of lost salvation—it’s a sign of spiritual life. The Spirit illuminates God’s Word, convicts our hearts, and draws us back to mercy.

Even redeemed believers must continually come to the Lord for cleansing. That’s why we examine ourselves during communion. That’s why we confess our sins in prayer. The Christian life is a rhythm of repentance and renewal, turning again and again toward the grace of Christ.

The God Who Forgives

“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”

— Psalm 130:3-4

What a staggering truth. If God kept a running record of our sins, none could stand. But He is not only just—He is merciful. And that mercy leads to reverence, not apathy. True forgiveness makes us tremble with gratitude.

Waiting on the Lord

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope.”

— Psalm 130:5

Repentance involves waiting—not passively, but actively trusting. The psalmist likens it to a watchman waiting for the morning: alert, longing, expectant. We wait for God’s deliverance, His assurance, His sanctifying work.

In our fight with sin, that waiting is part of faith. We trust His timing. We rest in His promises. We cling to His Word as the anchor of hope.

The Promise of Redemption

“O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.”

— Psalm 130:7

There is plentiful redemption in Christ. The blood of Jesus doesn’t just cover sin; it abolishes its power. The same grace that saved us continues to sustain and sanctify us until the day when sin is gone forever.

One day we will no longer struggle. We’ll do whatever we want—because what we want will be only what glorifies God. That day is coming. But until then, we cry from the depths, we repent, and we wait in hope.

The Point

In our ongoing fight to turn from sin,

we must actively wait on God,

hope in His promises,

and never lose the fear of the Lord.

Repentance is not a burden—it’s a gift.

It’s the means by which God keeps our hearts soft, humble, and near the Fount of mercy.

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