Psalm 130:1-8 AMPC
Out of the depths have I cried to You, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should keep account of and treat [us according to our] sins, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared and worshiped. I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope. I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is mercy and loving-kindness, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.
Those of us who are old enough, will remember the Bee Gees' song "How deep is your love?"
The Lord is looking for deep love from His People - "be rooted and grounded in love".
May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love
There's nothing shallow or superficial about Our God!
Ephesians 3:17
He often throws us "in the deep end" to test the quality of our devotion to Him.
Will we sink or swim when our loyalty to Jesus is tested?
Can we turn the other cheek and swim against the tidal wave of anger and revenge?
Can we bless and not curse when we have been offended?
These are tests of "how deep is your love?"
Actually, as the Lord would ordain it, today has been such a test. It was an unexpected snub coming right out of the blue from someone close.
It would have been so, so tasty to chew on a morsel of offence, and I did toy with it on my "spiritual fork", but I had to spit it out and turn away from it, because it began to turn bitter in my spirit.
The Psalmist here cries "out of the depths" to the Lord. He's on the edge because he realises how unworthy he is of the Lord's grace.
Sometimes we have to cry out to the Lord from the depths of our being, because we don't want to walk the way of bitterness.
Let's end in praise and awe of God's great mercy and forgiveness to us - and so move on to share it with others!
Selah!
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