O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin. Psalm 130:7-8, NLT

Even though I know better, I fall into the trap of thinking ‘sin’ is the ‘bad stuff’ I do. It is just as ‘sinful’ to not do things I should, like ‘hope in the I AM.’ Over the years I have hoped in my retirement fund, my relationships with close friends, my place of employment, my ability to effect my environment. These are hopes that disappoint. The Word does not move, or change, or switch out promises, or even bend to my whims regarding what should be done on this earth. I still sin by hoping in things at hand, things that fail.

I desperately cling to the promise of love that does not fail. I try to hold tightly because I know my hands are slippery from the sweat of circumstance. My grip is frail because my exercise routine is so infrequent. I guess this is why this promise always reminds me of the story of the storm recorded in Matthew 8. Jesus and his closest followers were in the same boat, subject to the same dangerous gale. Jesus slept soundly. His friends cried out in terror. What was the difference? Jesus rested fully in His Father’s unfailing love. Because of the relationship between Father and Son, Jesus knew his time was not complete. The other would be sailors trusted in the boat. They knew the boat was going to fail, and fail soon. I am convinced, to my shame, placed in the same boat I would respond from fear, scurrying in panic, screaming like a child.

The challenge, then, is to submit to the Spirit’s rule in my heart by following Jesus’ example of unbounded trust. Since I am a sinner, my submission is dependent on the ‘overflow of redemption.’  This song states that God’s redemption covers ‘every kind of sin.’ What a gift! I receive not just what I need to mend my brokenness, but God, by his own hand, gives me more than enough redemption to restore my ‘sinking boat.’ This is why Paul could write, ‘We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that he has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’ (Ephesians 2.10) The good news is I can respond to God’s restoration work within me, knowing full well that nothing there is ‘too much.’ Wow.

In studying God’s word there are some key questions we should ask. Not every portion of Scripture will answer every question, but Rick Warren did a fine job of providing one of his infamous acronyms.

• S-Is there a sin to confess?
• P-Is there a promise to claim?
• A-Is there an attitude to change?
• C-Is there a command to obey?
• E-Is there an example to follow?
• P-Is there a prayer to pray?
• E-Is there an error to avoid?
• T-Is there a truth to believe?
• S-Is there something to praise God for?

Which of these questions could you answer from this portion of Psalm 130?