Psalms 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. 6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.”
The Psalmist emphasizes that this waiting “for the LORD” is far more than some physical exercise or some imposed regimen. The motivation and power for this waiting is contained in the very “soul”; that is, the very core and essence of life itself. When a person dies, this “soul” departs the body (Genesis 35:18) along with the spirit (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and is carried by the Lord’s “angels” to be kept with the Lord (Luke 16:22) until the day of the Resurrection (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). At the very instant of Spiritual Birth (John 3:1-8), this “soul” is forever changed, forever redirecting the motives and desires of life to seek the Holy Things of God. From this instant forward, there is a compelling and loving hunger for the Lord, His Word, His Church, and His path of life. Furthermore, the “soul”, being indwelled and captured and indelibly changed by the Spirit of God, is in possession of the Promises of God and diligently focuses upon the Word of God and structures its activities in life to live in pleasant anticipation of God’s care for us in this present life and “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” (Titus 1:2). Paul well understood this magnificent change (regeneration); for, in an instant, he was himself changed from a hateful persecutor of the Church to a worshipful and loving follower of the Lord (Acts 9:5-6). Later, Paul expressed the yearnings of the Born Again “soul” this way, “the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead” (II Corinthians 5:14). Those whose “soul doth wait … for the LORD”, find happiness and contentment in the Lord, no matter how severe the “tribulations” of life may be.