Psalm 130. I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope. My soul waits for the LORD, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

At first this verse seems to call for patience. But the repeated refrain "more than watchmen for the morning" suggests an active rather than a passive waiting.

What is the psalmist waiting for? This particular psalmist is in trouble. "Out of the depths," the words which begin this prayer, does not suggest a good place. The psalm also makes clear that sin-a failure to live God's will faithfully-is also an issue. But if the psalmist is in trouble because of sin, where does his sense of expectation and hope come from?

Our verse today is bracketed by the statements that God will forgive individual sin and redeem the people. Whence such wild optimism in the midst of adversity? "In his word is my hope" is, for the psalmist and for us today, the answer. In the word-the stories of Israel's ancestors, the provisions of legal traditions, the writings of prophets and kings-is found the story of forgiveness and new life in the midst of oppression. This is an active hope, anticipating God's help very soon, even sooner than the dawn.

PRAY for The Anglican Church of Korea and the Diocese of Seoul

Ps 119:145-176 * 128, 129; Ezekiel 34:1-16; 1 John 2:12-17; Matthew 10:5-15

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