“Out of the depths I call to you, Lord! Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help. Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be revered.”
Your understanding of God shapes your perception of God.
As one of the Psalms of Ascent – Psalm 130 was sung by Jewish people as they traveled up to Jerusalem to worship. These Psalms of Ascent celebrate the power, compassion, refuge, and grace that God shows His people. These songs would prepare the hearts and minds of the Jewish people as they traveled into the Holy City to worship. This psalm in particular gives us an understanding of God’s attentive nature.
When some think about God being attentive they picture an angry God diligently taking notes on the wrong that every person commits. In their minds, every mistake is recorded in an effort to show humanity why they are evil and not good enough to live up to God’s standards. Psalm 130 shows us a different picture of God’s attentiveness. The psalmist is asking and expecting God to be attentive to his cry for help. God, in His infinite knowledge, does know all of the wrongs that you commit, but He is also attentive to your needs, your concerns, and your cries for help.
- God is attentive to our need.
- God is sensitive to our situation.
- God is compassionate and forgiving.
There is no need to feel ashamed or fearful for crying out to God for help when you are experiencing a low moment in life. He knows. He hears. God isn’t sitting in heaven mounting up a legal case against you to prove that you aren’t worthy so he can throw you away – God pours out His love and grace to redeem you and to bring you home. God is attentive to your cries for help.
By no means should you abuse God’s grace but instead we celebrate that God has hears our cries for help when we are victims of someone else’s sin or of our own sin.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”
Live It:
- What do you need to boldly bring to God today?
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Chase Snyder
Writer, Pastor
