Psalm 130 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 130 on biblegateway.com
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
We cry out from the depths, and God hears our voice. We sin in thought, word, and deed, and God forgives. We wait for the Lord as watchmen wait for the morning, and God meets us. We hope for the Lord and God redeems us from all iniquities. This psalm, so often read at funerals and in times of crisis, is one of great affirmation. It addresses our human condition and affirms God’s divine response. And someday, when this psalm is read over us, that same God who has kept us in life will keep us in death and for all eternity. God hears our voice.
Prayer
O God, hear our voice and let our cry come unto you: give peace where there is struggle, give healing where there is suffering, give hope where there is doubt and despair. We pray through Jesus Christ whose voice addresses us and calls us. Amen.