This is a penitent Psalm. As the pilgrim ascends to Jerusalem, his heart is overwhelmed with sin.  He doesn’t give excuses but immediately begs for God’s mercy.  However, he feels that he doesn’t get God’s answer right away, so He waits on the Lord like a security guard waiting for the sunrise.  Though he experiences the darkness of his sin, He knows that God’s mercy will rise just like the morning sun.  It’s that confidence that he encourages all of Israel to put their hope in God.  He calls all of Israel not to focus on immediate action but on the character of God.  God’s “hesed” (i.e. steadfast love, mercy, gracious love, faithful love, loyal love, etc.) and His willingness to save IS who God is.  And one day, God’s hesed will forgive all of Israel’s iniquities (that’s intentional sins, not accidental sins), and his prayer will become a reality.

1)    Reverence – Who is God?

1. Who is God? This Psalm doesn’t have linking verbs to God, so we extrapolate God’s praiseworthy attributes from this poem. God is able to hear his children, no matter how low they have sunk; God is forgiving (verse 4a);God loves steadfastly (verse 7b); God redeems plentifully (verse 7c).  
2. I praise You for always forgiving me (verse 4a) and granting me joy in  ___________ (cite anything that expresses joy in forgiveness, like being cleared from a guilty conscience, being confident to come into God’s presence, being saved through Jesus Christ, etc).
3. Thank You for Your steadfast love (verse 7b), so that I can ______________. (cite any internal celebration like rejoice in Your presence, sing of all your blessings in my life, have confidence that You always hear my prayer, be confident in Your work in me, meditate on how great You are)
4. Thank You for redeeming me (verse 7c) from  ______________ (cite any spiritual condition or real-life situation like your sins, your addiction, work-related drama, church stress, family conflicts, specific secret sins, etc.)
5. You are able to hear us anywhere because __________ (why God hears and responds to us)

2)    Response – How should I respond?

1. Because you forgive me (verse 4a), I confess my  _________________ (any sin or condition like anger, lust, laziness, distracted tendencies, apathy, lack of devotion, etc) before You. 
2. Because You faithfully love me (verse 7b), help me repent by loving ____________ (situation like your family, church, co-workers, neighbors, your children’s teacher, your government leaders, etc.) more.     
3. Out of the depths of my heart I cry(verse 1a), forgive me for _______________________ (cite any spiritual condition that displeases the Lord or hinders your ministry such as being distracted by your phone; criticizing your family, church, co-workers, neighbors; holding grudges, etc ). 

3)    Request – What should I pray about (resources and relationships)?

1. Even though I don’t know how you will work out _______, my hope is in you because…
2. Resources –
   Lord, I wait on you (verse 5a) to grant __________________ (resources such as healing for a loved one, a job to provide for your needs, wisdom to navigate life, money for ministry, etc)  
   c.     Relationships –
   Lord, I wait on you  (verse 5a) to heal ______________ (name of any relationship conflict such as a broken marriage, child-parent conflict, boss-worker relationship, neighbor’s relationship, church conflict, etc.) 

4)    Readiness

1. I will continue to hope in the Lord’s redemption  (verse 5c) as I continue to repent from  ____________ (spiritual condition such as phone addiction, distraction, anger, lust, laziness, timidity, or any short coming you want to turn away from)
2. I will wait on the Lord (verse 5a) in humility and apply Your steadfast love (verse 7a) to my ___________.  (relationship situation such as broken marriage, family conflict, church conflict, neighbor conflict, work conflict, etc.)
3. With my hope set on your steadfast love, I will serve you by … (God-given responsibility ; loving my family, leading my small group, witnessing to my neighbors)

5)    End in Reverence Praise God for forgiveness, steadfast love and redemption.    
       Hymn:  “Make me a Servant” (Readiness), “Mighty to Save” (Reverence). 

Moving Towards God is Moving Towards Repentance
(Note: Notice that pilgrim moves outwardly to Jerusalem in obedience but also moves inwardly to God in repentance)  

• Out of the depths (Soul’s situation/Spiritual Condition) [1a]
  1. I cry to You [1b]
  2. Plead to You [2a]
  3. Hear my voice of my pleas for mercy[2b] or Hear my prayer[2b]
• If you, O Lord, should mark our iniquities (Spiritual Condition) [3a]
  1. Who could stand? [b]
     1. i) All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory [Romans 3]
     2. ii) He states an honest fact that he sinned, and he cannot stand before God in righteousness.
  2. But with You there is forgiveness [4a]
     1. i) What the pilgrim is actually praying for.
     2. ii) He wants to be happy again [Psalm 32:1-2]

• Waiting on God’s Answer [5a]
  1. Soul waits inwardly [5b]
  2. Hopes in God’s word outwardly [5c]
  3. Describes waiting on God’s answer [6b]
     1. i) More than a guard looking for morning [6b]
     2. ii) Repeats the phrase above for emphasis [6c]

• Confidence in God’s Answer based on God’s Nature
  1. Command to hope in God because [7a]
     1. i) God’s nature, steadfast love (hesed) [7b]
     2. ii) God’s nature, desires redemption [7c]
  2. Forgiveness will come (Expectation)
     1. i) Iniquities forgiven [8a]
        
        

Lessons (Sunday School or Sermon Helps):
1)  Main Idea - If we expect to draw near to God, like a man who makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, we also need to repent before God.  In Isaiah 6, Isaiah says woe is me for I am undone while he is near to God.  In Bill Eiliff’s book, “The Presence Centered Life”, he instructs us to draw near to God, commune with God and REPENT before God.  Repentance is a natural response to God’s holiness.  So it’s no surprise that when the psalmist makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he prays for God’s mercy in repentance for his sin.  Likewise, when we go to God in prayer, go to church or even go to an SBC conference, we must keep in mind that we are entering into God’s presence.  And if we are entering into God’s presence, then we must have a heart of repentance.  Is there a secret sin you have in your life?  Do you feel that this weight of sin burdens your ministry?  Well it’s time to come to Jesus and find rest for your soul.  Let’s come to God in repentance and confess our sins before Him.   

2)  Results - Fortunately for us who are born again in Jesus, we don’t have to wait like a watchman who waits for the morning.  1 John 1:9 assures us that our sins are forgiven immediately when we confess. Also, our experience in God’s presence helps us understand that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) and God’s presence conforms us to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29)!  That means we become more merciful and loving like God and want others to be redeemed like God redeemed us (Psalm 130:7)!  Are you tired of being unforgiving, always angry every day?  Do you want a heart that easily evangelizes because you experienced first-hand forgiveness?  Then let’s not wait any longer.  Bring those secret sins into the light and experience healing and confidence that only God can give.  Let’s plead with God out of the dark depths of our soul, so we can experience times of refreshing. 

3)  Practice - Let’s begin each morning in prayer, asking God to find any wicked way in us (Psalm 139).  And once that’s revealed, let’s cry out from the depths of our soul (Psalm 130:1) and plead for God’s mercy.  Then we wait on the Lord.  Noticeable change doesn’t happen overnight, but we’re confident that God will change us (Philippians 1:6).  What’s important is our consistency to seek Him.  Then before we know it, we’re loving to be in God’s presence more and sinning less.  Let’s aim to genuinely be repentant and let God do His work in us. 

How do we live in quiet confidence in the Lord?  We grow into it.
The psalmist points us to the growth of a child as an example for our growth confidence in God’s faithfulness. Maturing faith grows out and away from pride and haughtiness into a quiet dependence on the Lord. Just as children learn to trust in their caring parents, so God’s people are to grow in their humble trust in the Lord.

1)    Reverence – Who is God?

1. God reigns on high, God takes care of the great and marvelous works, God is whom we should depend on and hope in alone (3).
2.  Oh God, I will hope and depend on you because _________________ (you have never let me down; you are my savior; you alone have all power and majesty).

2)    Response – How should I respond?

1. a. Respond by asking for forgiveness.
2. Forgive me when I live pridefully by _____________ (cite examples: not praying, believing that I do not need you; leaving you out of my decisions).
   Break and humble my spirit so I can depend on you solely to _________________ (pastor a church, lead a ministry, love my family well, be faithful to my wife)

3)    Request – What should I pray about (resources and relationships)?

1. Pray for the church.
2. My heart cries out for your bride, the church, where __________________ (conflicts abound, disunity reigns, there is discord) because we are not humble nor are we aware of our own arrogance. Break us and give a quiet and peaceful spirit. Let us hope in you alone.
3. Pray for your life
4. I will trust in your perfect care, when the time is right you will help me in …

4)    Readiness

1. a. Our sanctification
2. Lord, help me to watch out for pride and arrogance in the areas of _________________.
   Let me constantly turn to you so I will be vigilant to see myself in light of your glory and to recognize my utter dependence on you. Should I fail, do what you will to make me see my folly and sin, repent and return to you.

5)    End in Reverence to praise the God in whom my hope rests.

Dependence on God

1)    Submission – Becoming Self-Aware (1)

1. I do not think of myself too highly (1a)
2. I am no longer too proud (1b)
3. I understand my own limitations (1c)

2)    Submission – A Quiet Confidence in God

1. Quelling of the soul – finding peace in God(2a)
2. Like a weaned child depends on his mother, so the psalmist has learned to quiet his soul and trust in God(2b-c)

3)    A Corporate Call to Dependence (3)