Out of the Depths I Cry To You, O Lord
Scripture
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
Reflection
Listen to this recording of Psalm 130 as you reflect on this rich poem of hope in a time of deep darkness.
The rich, dark tones of the cello invite each of us to venture into the dark spaces of our lives, those places we would prefer to deny and avoid. But, we all know darkness in our lives is unavoidable. It is in the darkness that we most need to cry out for God. We want to know that our pain is heard, our grief is acknowledged, and God listens to our voice. We need the assurance that God truly does care for us in our time of deepest need.
The bright tones of the oboe and rising chorus evoke the hope of faith. Just as we cry out in darkness, we have faith that God hears our pain and will respond. Our hearts brighten as we wait in hope, in our darkness we trust that the morning light of God’s grace will come.
We trust in God’s steadfast love and mercy. We trust that God will redeem us from where we suffer in the depths. We hope and wait. For with the Lord, there is steadfast love.
Exercise
When have you been in the depths of darkness?
Did you cry out to God?
What did it feel like to hope in the darkness and wait for the morning?
Do you think God heard your voice, acknowledged your grief, knew your pain?
Are you aware of how God may have responded to you?
Prayer
O God, we cannot deny or avoid pain and grief. In those dark moments, hear our cries. Let your steadfast love surround us, lifting us from the depths of our darkness into the morning light of your mercy. We trust. We hope. We wait. Lord, out of the depths we cry unto you. Hear our voice. Amen.
Greg Smith, Director of Legacy Ministry, First Baptist Church of Decatur