29/03/2020 FROM A SEA OF TROUBLE

READING:        Psalm 130

(A song for worship.)

Trusting the Lord in Times of Trouble

1 From a sea of troubles

I call out to you, Lord.

2 Won’t you please listen

as I beg for mercy?

3 If you kept record of our sins,

no one could last long.

4 But you forgive us,

and so we will worship you.

5 With all my heart,

I am waiting, Lord, for you!

I trust your promises.

6 I wait for you more eagerly

than a soldier on guard duty

waits for the dawn.

Yes, I wait more eagerly

than a soldier on guard duty

waits for the dawn.

7 Israel, trust the Lord!

He is always merciful,

and he has the power

to save you.

8 Israel, the Lord will save you

from all of your sins.

Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

    1. How are you doing? How are you doing in your relationship with the Lord?
    1. The Book of Psalms is a book of poetry and songs. These past few weeks I have encouraged us to each find our own song to sing during Lent, a song that comes from the heart. What song are you singing?
    1. Phil. 4:4-7:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What do these verses mean to you in the situation you find yourself in?

    1. How do you react when you are in “deep trouble”? Do you find, at such a time, that you cry out to the Father to “Pay attention and come to help me?”
    1. Read Psalm 130: 5-6: What do these words mean to you?
    1. Read Psalm 27: 1, 14. The focus in these verses in on “waiting” for the Lord. What does it mean to “wait” for the Lord?
    1. Read Isaiah 40:28-31. Again, what will it mean for you to “wait for the Lord”?

SUMMARY AND THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

“Psalm 130: 7-8 moves from the individual’s place in the song, to the invitation for the community to join in! Watch with me. Be eager and expectant with me. Come on People [Israel] we can wait and watch together!

The “Sea of Trouble” then changes in imagery to becoming the song of hope and expectation. God is with “Us”.

And so, this song that we sing going forward together, becomes a powerful anthem of prayer. We sing not just for ourselves but also for the healing for loved ones, for lives turned around, for conflict resolved, for jobs to be saved and for new jobs found, for a virus to be defeated, for the economies of the world to turn around, we sing for communities destroyed to be rebuilt; we sing for wisdom for leaders, we sing for peace…. We sing!

We pray too, that others will hear the songs being sung! That they will listen and understand!

And so, we will continue to spiritually walk together, singing on our journey while we go.

Soon our journey will lead us through the gates of Jerusalem, and from within the security of our homes we will in our “imagination” follow the streets of the city, hear the shouting of the crowds, and walk the footsteps of Jesus to his Cross! All the while as we go – we will sing, for God is with us, wherever we may Go!”

Have a blessed week,

Rev. Tim