Psalm 130 (NIV)

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.

The Church is a people who declares God’s praise…

I will praise your name for ever and ever… One generation commends your works to another.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9–10 (NIV)

We praise God…

…from a place of desperation,

Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17 (NIV)

…in a posture of repentance,

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

“We need to repent of the haughty way in which we sometimes stand in judgment upon Scripture and must learn to sit humbly under its judgments instead. If we come to Scripture with our minds made up, expecting to hear from it only an echo of our own thoughts and never the thunderclap of God’s, then indeed he will not speak to us and we shall only be confirmed in our own prejudices. We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.” - John Stott, Authentic Christianity

…with patient hope.

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits…Israel, put your hope in the LORD…

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Next Steps: Focus your 15 minutes alone with God by journaling on Psalm 130 and reflect on becoming a people of praise and repentance. How are repentance and praise connected?

Ideas for journaling.

• Day 1: Write out the Psalm in your journal.
• Day 2: From what depths could the psalmist be writing? What are the depths you are approaching God from today?
• Day 3: What qualities of God are on display in this Psalm? Which of these qualities are you most grateful for today?
• Day 4: Highlight the number of times the
• psalmist mentions waiting. Write down how you are waiting on the Lord in repentance and patience.
• Day 5: Reflect on God’s mercy, forgiveness, and unfailing love. How do these qualities inform your repentance and worship?