Lord, hear my voice
by Neil Bergmann
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I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope (Psalm 130:5).
Read Psalm 130
The psalms were the songbook for the Israelites, with different psalms used at different times. Psalms 120 to 134 all have a sub-title of A Song of Ascents. This includes today’s reading. Scholars believe that these Songs of Ascents were sung by pilgrims travelling up to Jerusalem (which sits on a hill) for one of the three major Jewish pilgrimage festivals each year: Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles).
Some psalms have an urgent call for help – ‘come quickly to my aid’ (Psalm 22), ‘come quickly to me’ (Psalm 141) and ‘answer me quickly’ (Psalm 143). Sometimes, we need God’s help right now. But this is not the case in today’s psalm.
Pilgrimage is not a process that can be hurried. In the case of ancient Jewish pilgrimages, the days, times and nature of the festival celebrations were known. Any pilgrimage would need to align with the festival timescales.
The Songs of Ascents are not about wanting God to act quickly because of an urgent situation. Instead, they calmly look back on what God has done for Israel in the past and look forward to the blessings that will come from participation in the festivals. Psalm 130 particularly looks at waiting for God to respond to our deepest yearnings.
We are not very good at waiting. Centuries ago, Advent was a time of fasting and waiting, in preparation for the feast at Christmas. In Australia, December represents the start of long school and university holidays, summer vacations and a busy schedule of end-of-year parties and celebrations. Christmas and New Year’s mean the end of the party season, when at last we can rest, rather than the start of our celebrations.
Lent, at least, is still a season when we can stop and wait for the celebration of Easter. Today’s psalm reflects the idea that in some sense we are waiting in the darkness during Lent, reflecting on our need for our Saviour. Then, as we wait, we are plunged into the complete darkness of Good Friday when evil seems to have won. But then comes the glorious Easter morning when light overcomes darkness forever. As the psalm says, ‘my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.’
Our Lenten waiting is not hopelessness. It is not idle restlessness. Instead, it is a time of quiet but active waiting and preparation for the celebration of that glorious morning of Christ’s resurrection.
God, be with us in our waiting. Let our quiet inner reflection prepare our hearts to receive your Easter gift of eternal life anew with you. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys the quieter pace of life after retirement and being able to spend more time with his wife, Margit, and their daughter, Elina.
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