Renungan pagi, 20 Maret 2023 Mazmur 130:7

Sermon, Psalm/Mazmur 130: 7

Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

Gain your dream with a joy in the Lord

Is it normal to ask for help? Everyone ever asking for help, we call others for help. Why do people always ask help from others? Because  I am weak and he/she is stronger than me.

Sometimes someone crying ask for help, with a loud voice and full of tears! Oh my dear, help me please, I have made some mistakes I do not know what to do anymore. My teacher knew that I was cheating of my scroll paper on last Mid Semester exam. What? Cheating on mid semester exam? Oh my God, what were you doing? I am sorry, I can’t help you! May be it is the answer of the fellow student.

We ask for help to whom we trust! To whom that he/she cares about me, and he/she could afford to solve the problem. Do not go to someone who do not understand to solve the problem, go to the right man on the right moment. From the deep of sorrows the Psalmist cries to God (1-2), asking for mercy (3-4), the psalmist’s trust (5-6), becomes a model for the people (7-8).

 

1 From the depths of my despair I call to you, LORD.

 

2 Hear my cry, O Lord; listen to my call for help!

 

3 If you kept a record of our sins, who could escape being condemned?

 

4 But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you.

 

5 I wait eagerly for the LORD’s help, and in his word I trust.

 

6 I wait for the Lord more eagerly than sentries wait for the dawn— than sentries wait for the dawn

 

There are three points of view according to the Bible text today:

Firstly, the Psalmist called the Israelites to put their hope in the Lord.

The name of Israel as the chosen nation, this word is addressed to the certain people. There was a special intention of God, why the psalmist called the Israel? Let’s see from the misiological of view, that God needed Israel to listen, to concentrate toward God’s planning. The psalmist asked Israel to hear God. The man of God in doing God’s mission may address this word to special group of people, to member of the Church, to a group of people, to Biblevrouw’s civitas Academica, or directly to me or you. O Student, put your hope in the Lord. Hopes helps us remain committed to our goals and motivated to take action towards achieving.

Help comes from God, no others. This text teaches us to listen and focus on what God can do for our problems. God can do something when people cannot do, when friends and relatives have limitation to do.

 

Waiting for the Lord is pleasure, He will not disappoint.

I wait for the Lord, and in his word I put my hope, my soul waits for the Lord, meaning totally my life surrender to God only. More than watchman wait for the morning, to wait with confidence that the darkness will pass by soon, even the night seems long.  Darkness fades until the day breaks and darkness is gone. The watch is long, but the sun is rising, that is the point. The watch is long but He is going to come, soon. Waiting for the Lord is a pleasure, more than waiting for the coming of our parents, brother or sister who should bring our allowance or pocket money, at the end of the month. Waiting for the Lord is a moment of joy, that it is realistic hope.

 

Secondly, For with the Lord is unfailing love.

We can find another verses regarding “The Lord’s unfailing love” in the Bible such, Lament 3:22-26,  The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so I put my hope in him. The Lord is good t everyone who trusts in him, so it is best for us to wait in patience, to wait for him to save us. Isaiah 54: 10, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken” (Ai munsat pe angka dolok, jala humuntal angka robean, alai anggo asiasingKu na so tupa munsat sian ho, jala padan ni hadameonHu na so tupa humordit, ninna Jahowa siasii ho).

God’s love is unfailing and God embraces us continually.  God loves and cares for us so much, that He desires to carry our burdens for us. God’s word will encourage, uplift, and carry us.

Roman 8:39, reassures us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. God’s love is present with us through the joys and trials. Even you do not feel that God’s love, it is always present.

Thirdly, And with Him is full redemption

Full redemption, plentiful redemption. What does it mean?

The word redemption, (redeem, redeemer, redeeming), the action of saving or being saved from sin, error or evil.

The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

To redeem means to rescue, process of deliverance.

Redemption in the term of Biblical teaching:

The action of saving or being saved from sin, freely given by his grace, we achieve it through our faith. God has redeemed us by his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace (Eph 1:7).

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3: 23-24)

Sister in Christ!

The Psalmist is talking to us this morning:

O student, put your hope in the Lord. You may gain your dream how to be a good woman, a good preacher woman in the future by good working, good preparation, hard studying since now. Hope in the Lord, meaning let’s do all our duty with joy in the Lord and His love covered your life totally, that everyone feel His love through our fellowship that we are one family in the name of Jesus Christ. We are the family of God, love one another. Our hope is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior God. Through Him, all sinners are freely in his grace and it makes us right in his sight.

Look at to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul says; “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” ( 2 Cor 4: 18).

Amen!

 

By: Pdt. Maruhum Simangunsong, M.Th