Text – Psalm 130:

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.

Lenten Meditation:

Three audiences are addressed in this Psalm: In verses 1-4 God is address, in verses 5-6 a human audience is addressed, and in verses 7-8 the community of Israel is addressed.

This Lenten season our focus is on verses 1-4 and the Psalmist’s address to God. To God the Psalmist cried, “From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help. Hear my cry, O Lord. Pay attention to my prayer.”

This cry emits from the human condition, from objective awareness of how far we’ve fallen from the vision that God has for God’s creation. It is the cry of penitence and repentance.

But the Psalm does not end there, nor do our prayers. In verse 7 the Psalmist turns to the nation and says, “O Israel, hope in the Lord….His redemption overflows. God himself will redeem Israel.”

And he will redeem us as well. Let us remember this in Lent.

Prayer:

O God of redemption, As the Psalmist cried out to you, so do we this year during this season. Help us to remember our sins, but no to dwell there. Rather, help us to also remember your steadfast love and the redemption you hold out to us. In Jesus’ name we pray this. Amen.