396. Monday after Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Psalm 130. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning; I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
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God’s good Holy Spirit does not tire of pointing out to us the only and safe way out of our troubles: We must confess our sins, humble us before the Lord, and confidently expect his gracious help. “This psalm,” says Hengstenberg,
teaches us that the church of God must not complain nor lose heart in her suffering; but pray her merciful Lord and Savior to forgive her sins, and remit their well deserved punishment; and confidently believe that he has the will to do it and truly does it. This is the royal road by which we attain fearlessness in trouble, and escape from suffering into the state of joy.
Especially do we here learn to wait and hope, wait and hope for the Lord’s help, and never cease humbly to pray in faith and hope, even though for a long time we hear no answer. In this waiting and hoping are included two things: 1) We have a hearty longing and yearning, and say: “Lord, make haste to help me!” This lesson is readily learned when we are in distress, when we cry out of the depths, when the waters threaten to engulf us. 2) We confidently expect the Lord to save us; we cling to his promise, and have the assurance in our heart that the help will come in due season. This is, alas, more difficult; and none can learn it save by the Holy Ghost. That we may learn it, he has caused this and many similar psalms to be written. By means of words such as these he gives humility, faith, and comfort to the upright hearts; so that they not only learn what they are to do in their affliction, but also receive grace to do it. At the time of the Diet at Augsburg, when Luther made his home at Coburg, he was often in such sore spiritual distress that he himself says: “I have been in deep agony of spirit, the like of which you will, I hope, never feel; I should not wish any man to have the experience which I have had.” At this time of trial he often sang the psalm before us; and it so mightily strengthened him that he was able to write: “And were the world with devils filled, all eager to devour us, our souls should not yield to fear; for on our side we have One who can easily and quickly fell them all.” — It is the way of our Lord to postpone helping us, when it seems to us, that if he loved us, and were aware of our distress, he should come at once to our assistance; and then it is the way of Satan to whisper into our soul: “There is no God to hear and deliver you.” But then, thank God, it is the way of the Holy Spirit to keep us in the word and faith, and say to the soul: “Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” In the greatest need the one thing to do is to wait with humble faith for the Lord, and continue to expect mercy and salvation of him; this, and nothing else; of him, and of none other. None who has waited for the Lord has ever been made ashamed. — To wait for the Lord, and to hope in the Lord, he shall give you the strength by the power of his word!*
Out of the depths I cry to thee,
Lord, hear me, I implore thee!
In grace thine ear incline to me,
My prayer let come before thee!
If thou remember each misdeed,
If each should have its rightful meed,
Lord, who can stand before thee?
Like those who watch for midnight’s hour
To hail the dawning morrow,
I wait for thee, I trust thy power,
Unmoved by doubt or sorrow.
So thus let Israel hope in thee,
And he shall find thy mercy free,
And thy redemption plenteous.
[TLH 329, LSB 607, ELH 452; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.