De profundis

Friday, December 19, 2014                                                              Psalm 130

Guy D. Griffith

  

Psalm 130 became a favorite in an unlikely place. Toward the end of my first pastorate I began a process of intentional discernment under the tutelage of a Spiritual Director. Once a month, along with another pastor friend, I would spend an overnight retreat at the Trappist Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. The three of us would arrive shortly before the gates were locked for the night and we’d begin by reading a psalm across each other; that is, one would choose a psalm and would read the odd verses while the other two would read the even ones. This was a new practice. But over time it became clear that the psalm that each one chose became a short-hand clue about how things had gone in the month since we’d seen each other. Which psalm was chosen gave us a glimpse into the other’s soul.

Tom was the other pastor and he was going through a particularly hard season of life and ministry. For more than six months he chose to begin with Psalm 130: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice!” (vv. 1-2). Its Latin title is “De profundis” because it is a cry from the depths. Later on, my friend Tom Lewis would turn his experience into a very helpful book, Finding God: Praying the Psalms in Times of Depression.

Tucked away in a portion of the Psalter called “Psalms of Ascent” (Psalms 120 – 134), Psalm 130 is one of the short pilgrim songs that the faithful would sing “going up” to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. These psalms remind us of the range of emotion we have as disciples even as we faithfully attend to worship. I’m glad Psalm 130 is included because it speaks a word of hope for those who know suffering and grief in this season. For those who sing, “I wait for the Lord. My soul waits” (v.5) the psalmist offers the promise of “plenteous redemption” (v. 7c, RSV) in God’s time. As the days lengthen and Advent draws on, we who wait in darkness, know of the coming Light.

Prayer: “Comfort, comfort now my people; tell of peace!” So says our God. “Comfort those who sit in darkness mourning under sorrow’s load. To my people now proclaim that my pardon is for them! Tell them that their sins I cover, and their warfare is now over.”

Daily Challenge: In your darkness, from your depths, cry out to God!