If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
— Psalm 130:3
This verse is extremely precious. The psalmist now has a realization of who he is. After experiencing the Lord’s plowing, and after touching the Lord in prayer, the psalmist knows himself. He realizes that he is filled with iniquity.
Previously he was so buoyant and strong. In the stage of enjoyment he became a “mighty man with arrows.” He was like a fruitful vine and an olive tree, effectively serving the Lord and the saints. Yet now he has passed through a deeper process. He went through some plowing from the Lord, and deep furrows were cut in his back for him to grow in life. In the midst of this he cried out to the Lord and made supplications. This brought him to the proper realization of himself. Because of the Lord’s cultivation, the psalmist can say, “Lord, I am in Your hand. I see now who I really am. I know what kind of person I am. If you marked iniquities, who would stand?”
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 86.
Tomorrow: “Now We Can Pray”