Out of the Depths
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
My soul waits for the LORD
more than those who watch for the morning
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
And with him is great power to redeem
it is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities. Psalm 130
There are days. There are weeks. There are even years when we cry out from the depths. Times when life just doesn’t seem to work. Times when we have sinned so colossally that we cannot see our way out of the depths of where we are. Times when our situation, our work, our family, our fears (or name your own time) seem so great and demand so much of us that we feel like we will never be able to cope. Times when the only cry we can make is to God, because nothing or no one else seems capable of being with us, of hearing us, or of understanding our cries.
And yet… such a very important “and yet” … God forgives. God gives hope. God’s steadfast love is able to redeem us. God’s love not only redeems us as individuals. God also redeems us as the body of Christ.
For us alone, from the depths, we cry. For us together, from the depths, we cry in frustration and despair. Our faith teaches us that God listens and is attentive to our cries. God has the power, the Spirit of healing and hope and blessing to redeem us from all our iniquities, from all our hurts and challenges, from all our sins. We wait and hope. We cry out and wait. Our souls wait for God more than those who watch for the morning. In that affirmation, we acknowledge that morning always comes. God always hears. God always forgives and redeems.
God always is steadfast in love. God always is... God always... God… Yes!
Steadfast and loving God, when we cry out to you, we know you hear us. Help us to wait for your redeeming hope and forgiveness in the same assurance that we have when we wait for the morning. Give us the courage and patience to continue to live as your people and to take action for justice and radical hope even when we feel like we are crying out from the depths and feel helpless. We wait for you. We live every day in your steadfast love and redeeming hope. We offer our actions, our ministry, our love, to serve you in all we do. We pray in the name of Jesus, who knew the depths, who cried out to you, and who offered your redeeming grace to all. Amen.