Scripture: Psalm 130
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 Lord
more 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 Israel
from every kind of sin.
Some Thoughts
Psalm 130 is one of the classic psalms of lament, faintly reminiscent of Jonah’s prayer. In these days of the Lenten season, repentance is a central theme. This psalm gives us a beautiful pattern of the process. In the opening plea, we read of a person in deepest despair. They have given up fighting the problem on their own and called to the Lord for help. The next sentence revealed something of the relationship between the psalmist and the Lord with the words “Hear my cry, Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.” To pray those words said something about the transparency of his relationship with God. The psalmist addressed the Lord in the same manner as if he were talking face to face with a friend. He addressed the Lord in the second person. Please listen and pay attention to what I’m saying. I’m hurting badly. He was not afraid to ask the Lord to pay attention.
He then admitted if the Lord kept track of all his sins in a book, he’d be dead He was not trying to hide anything before the Lord. Transparency is essential in repentance and confession. What followed was interesting. God offered forgiveness so we can learn to fear him. What does that mean?
Fear in this sense I believe follows along the lines of Martin Luther’s explanation. There is a kind of fear that is truly afraid of heavy punishment. This use of the word is not that kind of fear. It is more like that of a child having great love and respect for her parents and wanting to please them. She has a fear, not because she is afraid of punishment from her mother, but rather of not wanting to disappoint her. This fear grows out of great affection and sense of security. The next sentence affirms this love with the words “I’m counting on the Lord . . . I put my hope in his word.” We see this love and longing continuing in the next line mirroring the sentries’ longing for the end of night and the light of another day, a beautiful image for lamenting heart. The focus of the psalmist shifts from despair to the unfailing faithfulness of the Lord. Remember Jesus’ frequent use of the light motive?
The psalmist then becomes a preacher! To this point, he has been expressing his own heart. Now he speaks to the whole community. Having expressed his relationship to the Lord in the second person, he now preaches of God to the whole nation of Israel in the third person. And sure enough, he speaks of God’s great love and redeeming power, encouraging the nation to experience God in the second person intimate relationship. The very last sentence speaks a word of prophecy. God himself will redeem Israel and the whole world from every kind of sin―on the cross of calvary. This psalm is also known by its Latin name―De profundus, “out of the depths.”
Music: “Out of the Deep” Cambridge Singers
Prayer:
O thou great Chief, light a candle in my heart, that I may see what is therein, and sweep the rubbish from thy dwelling place. ―An African schoolgirl’s prayer