Faith in Time of Crisis 13

Artwork by Rev’d Paul Collings

Meditation by Dr J P Hunter

Psalm 130 A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

2     Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

    to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,

    Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

    and in his word I put my hope.

6 I wait for the Lord

    more than watchmen wait for the morning,

    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

    for with the Lord is unfailing love

    and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel

    from all their sins.

 

Meditation

This is a great Psalm of assurance of the Lord’s forgiveness if we confess our sins to Him.

All of us sink into depths at some stage in our lives. This Psalm signposts a route out of the depths with the help of God’s power. It identifies six milestones along the route: crying, surrendering to God, seeking His forgiveness, waiting, hoping and finally receiving His gifts of unfailing love and full redemption. Verse 3 and 4 have been recognised to contain “the essence of all Scripture”. Any journey upwards out of depths should begin with the recognition that our human frailties allow no-one to stand before God in self-justification. We confess our sins; we wait and we hope. Then the Lord is always willing to forgive us, unfailing love, without a record of past sin, to redeem us and set us on a path in a renewed relationship, to serve Him.

 

Prayer

O Lord, hear my prayer for mercy. Help me climb out of my depths. Guide me to learn to surrender my will to yours. Teach me to wait and hope in your word. Grant me the great blessings of your unfailing love in forgiveness. And guide me how to live in a renewed relationship to serve you. Amen.         Jonathan Aitken, adapted.

Hymns and Psalms 78 verse 2

But O what gentle terms,

What condescending ways

Does our Redeemer use

To teach his heavenly grace!

Mine eyes with joy and wonder see

What forms of love he bears for me.                                  

Isaac Watts (1674 -1748).