Psalm 130

A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Nowdays, there aren't that many watchmen. Not many of us wait for the morning with such eager anticipation. I remember doing so a bit when I was younger and sick all the time, because the morning meant that I could get up and read and so have something to distract me from being so sick. But the thing is, I haven't had to eagerly, desperately wait for the morning in a long time. Not the way that the watchmen of Biblical times had to.

So, why were they so anxious for the morning? Night meant danger. It was a time when you couldn't see any enemy that might come and attack you. Morning meant safety. You could see what was headed your way, and you could prepare and be ready.

There are people who watch for the mornings with that kind of intensity - lots of them. One of the most horrifing examples is the "night commuters" from Uganda who every night walk from the internally displaced person camps their families are housed in to a larger town, where they sleep pretty much anywhere they can get shelter. Then they head back to their camps, sometimes going to school during the day.

How desperately they must wait for the morning, especially during winter!

That's how desperately we need to be waiting on the LORD.