Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (Philippians 2:6)
From the depths of despair, O LORD,I call for your help.Hear my cry, O Lord.Pay attention to my prayer.LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,who, O Lord, could ever survive?But you offer forgiveness,that we might learn to fear you.I am counting on the LORD;yes, I am counting on him.I have put my hope in his word.I long for the Lordmore than sentries long for the dawn,yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.O Israel, hope in the LORD;for with the LORD there is unfailing love.His redemption overflows.He himself will redeem Israelfrom every kind of sin. (Psalm 130 NLT)
Lent is a season of paradox. The Word came to earth to dwell among us. The Savior, God’s rescue plan, and the Father’s only Son leaves the throne room of heaven to come down and take on the form of a human. He does not hold onto or cling to the fact that he is God incarnate. He is truly man and truly God. What a paradoxical statement! The Son of God was born in an unexpected, but fully expected, place; lived a very unexpected, but fully expected, life; and died a very unexpected, but fully expected, death.
The words of Psalm 130 remind us of the paradox we live with daily. We find ourselves in the depths of despair far more often than we admit. Yet, we have a God that David says overflows with redemption. When a diagnosis is shared, when someone wounds us, when a relationship is broken, or when our reality is shattered, how quick we are to go down to the depths of despair. Psalm 130 is a raw look at our standing with God. When we cry from the depths, there is no reason he should answer us based on our standing. Yet in the depths of hurt, heartache, and hardship, God offers us forgiveness.
In the depths of life, our hope is in the paradox that an all-powerful God not only listens to his sinful people but that he forgives and redeems us. As Jesus comes and empties himself, he brings the overflowing redemption, flowing right from the very veins that bled on the cross. The paradox that red blood washes sin white as snow cannot be understated.
Twice David says that even though he is in the depths, he is counting on the Lord to show up. His language here reminds me of the three young men in Daniel who say to the king, we know our God can save us, but even if he doesn’t, he is still God. Whether or not God’s rescue aligns with our plans of rescue is not guaranteed. As we sit in the depths, we reflect: how did I get here? How will I get out? And what will I do when I get out? David simply says, I count on God.
Perhaps as we take this season of Lent to heart, we need to proclaim that same truth to our lives – I will count on God, however he shows up. Counting on God means trusting that God is who he says he is and that he has given us an overflowing redemption that can bring great hope in times of great despair.
Nathan Solak is the lead pastor at Ridgewood Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin.