1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

What a beautiful prayer by a person who has confidence and patience to trust the LORD to hear and forgive. The picture I get is of restoration (v4).

Waiting can be hard. Waiting for God to act to bring something to pass or to give us wisdom or an answer to prayer is also sometimes not easy. The image of “the watchmen waiting for morning” helps me understand why I have to wait for Him to speak or reveal his plans. The watchmen wait expectantly, and stay alert, anticipating danger or attack. When the sun begins to break through, dangers or threats are clearly visible. So it is when God responds to my cry for help. His plan for me, which I couldn’t see, becomes clear.

What stops me from waiting on God? This could be fear, impatience, trusting in my own wisdom, stopping praying. But instead confidence in my loving God (v3-4) casts out fear, patience in God’s perfect timing overcomes impatience, and remembering that my hope comes not from my wisdom or experience but from the unshakeable word of God (v5) helps me not to trust in my own solutions.

It comes down to humility, knowing God will respond and at the right time. I have seen this powerfully in my life this year. It sure wasn’t an easy road, but he strengthened me to continue the journey as I waited on Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, I know you are listening because you love me. You have shown me this in Jesus dying in my place. Thank you for growing my faith as I wait on you. Amen.

Written by Claire Moore

1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. 5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel.

The promise here is that those who fear God and walk in obedience to Him will be blessed. God’s part is to bless us, to give us good gifts (whether physical or spiritual) and our part is to deeply respect Him and walk in obedience to Him.

Walking is our everyday default mode of transport, it is a fairly standard movement that we action repeatedly, often without thinking! What is my everyday mode of operation in life? Am I repeatedly and habitually acting in obedience to God’s ways? Am I loving Him and others? Am I forgiving? Am I serving? Am I choosing prayer rather than worry? Am I choosing thankfulness rather than grumbling?

God, please help me to ‘walk’ out my faith, and to obey you in my everyday interactions. May choosing your way of thinking, believing, imagining, being, speaking and acting become my habit. Amen.

Written by Ps. Bethany Waugh

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes,[c] Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

This psalm reflects on how the Israelite’s had come out of exile. They remember how God restored them to their home city – it was amazing, they couldn’t believe it. Their hearts were filled with joy and laughter. As I read this Psalm, I am reminded of how I feel when God acts on my behalf. My heart is filled with gladness and my mouth with joy because He has done amazing things for me too. I have come to know that “You can do anything!”

The psalm continues. The Israelite’s are out of exile but they are facing hardship again. They are asking – praying – for the Lord to restore them again. Some of my prayers are the same: Lord, help. But sometimes these answers are slow in coming – and the waiting can be hard. As I read this psalm, I find that the Israelite’s are not waiting in dismay. They know there are tears now, but they also know they will reap a harvest. It reminds me of Habakkuk 2:3 which says “though it tarry, wait for it”. They don’t focus on the hardship but they actively remind themselves of what God has done previously: “The Lord has done great things for us (past tense), and we are filled with joy (present tense)” (v3 NIV). May I actively remind myself of the same.

Lord, You are Mighty and Sovereign, the maker of heaven and earth, and You are mindful of us. I thank you that You hear our prayers and act on our behalf. You are the stream in the desert, You bring me hope. May Your name be blessed!

Written by Gab Martin

1 If the Lord had not been on our side— let Israel say— 2 if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; 4 the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, 5 the raging waters would have swept us away. 6 Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

David opens this Psalm, with the question, “WHAT if God had not been on our side”?

That’s not something that we think about. We always encourage each other saying that God is for us not against us. That he is our provider, he is our healer, he is our saviour, he is! It’s always he is this or he is that. He is exactly what and who we need God to be for us, whatever situation we happen to be going through.

So, in faith we hang on.

But think about it, if God was not on our side then our story would be very short. Actually we would have no story to tell. Our first trouble would also be our last. It would be all over.

Why? For God is and always has been our only hope. There is no one else that we can turn to, to move mountains, to change situations, change people.

Only God. And he IS on our side. We are still here, still going all because of God.

We can trust him because he is for us. Our faith in him will not disappoint.

Father, thank you. Thank you for being on my side, and being for me.

Written by Andrew Martin

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 4 That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the Lord— to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. 5 There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

I couldn’t go past the first verse of this Psalm –  “I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord”.

I grew up going to church pretty much every Sunday of my life. I can’t say that I always rejoiced at the thought, but for the most part it was a very positive, extremely important part of my childhood experience. I suppose you could say that I took it for granted and didn’t really see how special it was at the time to be a part of a church.

Fast forward to now, and I really do rejoice at the thought of going to church (the house of the Lord).

I love how it’s called God’s house – the place where God dwells. For me, that has a warm and inviting sound to it, and I am so grateful to be a part of a church that allows me to belong and to be surrounded and supported by God’s people, as well as enjoy God’s presence in the gathered worship experience.

May I never take for granted the privilege of going to and belonging to the house of the Lord.  It has made all the difference in my life.

Written by Shelley Witt