The Watchmen Wait

“My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:6

If you have ever been in a basement while a tornado raged outside above ground (which I have), you know the feeling when the “all clear” sirens sound and it is safe to re-surface. There is never a timetable that is certain, but you wait and hope for relief.

In Psalm 130, the psalmist is discussing his sin, his iniquity, and how he longs for forgiveness from God. He adamantly seeks to be right with the Lord. And he does so with the eagerness of watchmen waiting for the morning, even repeating the phrase. Nighttime was a dangerous time in the Ancient Near East. If there was a surprise attack, it would not be in broad daylight. So watchmen were posted to keep an eye out for the city’s safety. I can imagine that no watchman seriously wanted to see action during his watch, but the only real feeling of safety came when dawn arrived. What great imagery!

But the watchman had no other surety or security during the night. Hope as he might, only daylight would confirm that the city was indeed secure.

We, too, know that if God kept track of our sin and held against them against us without assuring us of His forgiveness, we would forever feel the angst of that watchman, with no relief. But God is so very faithful, as in 1 John1: 9-10, to forgive us of ALL our sins, that we can have that dawn-appearing feeling of security anytime.

We do cry to God from our own depths, just as this psalmist. We do plead with Him to hear us, to answer us, to forgive us, at least I hope we do.

Next time you see a sunrise, think of this psalm, think of the watchman’s relief, and then praise our Savior for the blessed hope He has guaranteed to every believer.