A Psalm of Crisis
Reading for Friday 3.24–Sunday 3.26
Life is often cruel and chaotic. This includes the swirling chaos we live in and the swirling chaos so often found within us. Yet standing above it all is a gracious God willing and able to pluck us from the depths, rescuing us from certain doom.
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Psalm 130 (NET)
A Song for Grace
1 From the deep water I cry out to you, O LORD.
2 O Lord, listen to me!
Pay attention to my plea for mercy!
3 If you, O LORD, were to keep track of sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you?
4 But you are willing to forgive,
so that you might be honored.
5 I rely on the LORD, I rely on him with my whole being;
I wait for his assuring word.
6 I yearn for the Lord,
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD,
for the LORD exhibits loyal love,
and is more than willing to deliver.
8 He will deliver Israel
from all the consequences of their sins.
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A Psalm of Crisis
Psalm 130 offers us a beautiful picture of faith in the midst of a crisis. The beauty of the psalm is both in its universal appeal and its depiction of a gracious and present God who delivers.
In truth, Psalm 130 is the perfect psalm for Lent. The psalm opens with a cry for help followed by a confession of transgression. In this, it captures the heart of Jesus' work we celebrate at Easter. The deliverance the psalm calls for is answered in Jesus' death and Resurrection.
The key to the context of the psalm is the opening phrase, from the deep water. The phrase typifies the primeval chaos of the world. Its employed throughout the Old Testament scriptures, capturing the senseless, brutal, chaotic nature of the world. The poetic nature of its use here allows it to be applied to almost any situation where we might find ourselves overwhelmed by powers outside of our control. These influences can be internal or external, as the psalm implies by its connection to personal sin.
Psalm 130 plants hope in our hearts as we look to the one who overlooks our transgression and delivers us anyway. In this way, in crisis, we can confidently stand before God (v. 3) because of who God is and what He does for us. As we do so, we yearn to realize the full deliverance by this redeeming God.
In this way, we are called to Easter, with an eye towards both the cross and the empty tomb all at once. We, too, when overwhelmed by the death and chaos that fills our world and our hearts, can gaze and know that God has acted on our behalf and will one day do so once and for all.
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Reflect with a friend
In this moment what is your deep water? How does this psalm encourage you?
Take a moment to meditate on this psalm and the picture of faith it offers us. How might it help you pray?
What does it mean to wait on the Lord based on this psalm? What would this look like for you right now?
