When the Soul Watches for Him, Part 1
Scripture — Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait,
And in His word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
Focus
Out of an abyss of sorts the Psalmist makes a song of ascent. He reminds us through his singing to ask what happens when the soul can wait for the Lord. The psalmist, like the prodigal son, recognizes that when the soul waits—whether we come to God the Father ourselves or if he seeks us out like a lost sheep—the result is great gain.
Devotion
A part of my work has provided a great opportunity. While we wait for the resources and provisions to come there is a lot of tension; everyone is in great anticipation of what we can accomplish when things work out. But as time continues and promised dates have passed, the countenance of many has changed from optimism to frustration and in some cases antagonism.
Waiting is an interesting litmus test to learn what it means to be human. Sometimes our will waits and holds out when our bodies fail us. Sometimes our hearts wait when our bodies and minds can do no more. Sometimes the whole person cannot do it. Sometimes our connections to resources give in and we learn our convictions.
Once, one of my team members and I looked at each other while we were waiting with a kind of tangible version of this scripture. While we were staring at the reality of prolonging help for real people with few resources, I began to stare into the middle ground of uncertainty and caught myself about the same time as my coworker. We both nodded at each other with a reminder: “We can do this.”
Out of an abyss of sorts the Psalmist makes a song of ascent. He reminds us through his singing to ask what happens when the soul can wait for the Lord. The psalmist, like the prodigal son, recognizes that when the soul waits—whether we come to God the Father ourselves or if he seeks us out like a lost sheep—the result is great gain.
How do you know when the soul is waiting—when waiting is not only from willpower, or convenient circumstances, or pride? The psalmist reminds us that when the soul waits, the Word remains, and our wishes transition to objective hope. And this is where God’s word is not simply text on a page, but words pointing to a living and active God who is present and also on his way.
The gospel story is for people who are acquainted with learning to embrace the soul’s waiting—thousands upon thousands of years after God created the heavens, thirty years of one life, three days in a cave, two thousand years or so till your salvation, and the unknown time until Christ’s return. But there is hope because his presence brings what we could never do by ourselves.
Reflect
What does your workplace look like when it becomes an impatient culture?
What part of the psalmist “waits for the Lord”? (Repeat your answer slowly.)
Act
When you think about your workplace do you take your soul to work? How does a patient soul inform your ministry tasks where you spend the bulk of your Monday through Saturday? If you were really certain that the Lord’s involvement in your work was a promise, how might that affect what you do today?
Prayer
My soul is not always the most enduring, Lord. And I dwell amongst a workplace that does the same, oh Father. When we as your children forget, remind us that the Gospel is about your Son who endures in order that no one would perish. When our work tasks trouble us and our coworkers become disillusioned, make us faithful to your word. And make us _wise enough _to remind others of practical answers through the ordinary issues of home-keeping, TPS reports, drywalling, garbage collection, and managing others to have objective hope in what can be. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Crying to God Out of the Depths.
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DeLano Sheffield
Author & Business Resource Specialist
DeLano J. Sheffield is a senior pastor and employer engagement manager for Great Jobs KC (formerly KC Scholars) where he fosters connections between people on the fringes and employers in the Kansas City Metro. He advocates for the hiring of people who would not normally have opportunities. De...