Psalm 130:1-8 (NRSV)
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Verse 1Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Verse 2Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
Verse 3If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
Verse 4But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
Verse 5I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
Verse 6my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
Verse 7O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
Verse 8It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Devotion
Have you ever experienced "the depths?" In life's journeys, we often feel desperately lost in places and circumstances we never imagined or which are not of our own choosing. Alternatively, perhaps we make poor decisions or take sinful actions that result in painful, broken relationships and a sense of desolation. Oppressed by our burden of regrets, we may feel hopeless.
The psalmist, too, had fallen into this pit of despair. However, the psalmist remembered that God seeks to reconcile. He cried out to God and awaited a forgiven, redeemed relationship with God. The psalmist experienced hope. Then he appealed to his co-travelers and reminded them of God's loving forgiveness and redemptive reconciliation. He shared the message of hope.
Are you in despair's depths? God seeks to reconcile with you. God hears your cries. God forgives you. Once freed from your depths, could you share the hope-filled message of God's love with a despairing co-traveler?
Prayer
Gracious God, we exalt you for the unmerited love and reconciliation you impart. We implore you to answer our cries; forgive our failure to trust you and our actions that cause our despair. Show us with whom we can share a message of hope. Amen.