Out of the Depths

Psalm 119:145-176 • Psalm 128, 129, 130
Judges 18:16-31 • Acts 8:14-25 • John 6:1-15

Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice;
Let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

— Psalm 130:1, BCP, p. 784

Psalm 130 is one of those biblical poems, which, when you hear it spoken and then hear it sung, makes a lasting impression. Years ago, our choir master in Atlanta read it, slowly, to the choristers before we began learning John Rutter’s Requiem, of which Psalm 130 forms the second movement. When I saw that this psalm was appointed to be read today, the choral version of it, preceded by a slow and deeply sorrowful cello solo, popped into my mind unbidden.

As we read this psalm today, “depths” could refer to a place (like Jonah in the belly of the whale or Daniel in the lion’s den) or a condition of great sadness, (such as the remorse of a penitent sinner). Both are cause for sadness, and possibly even alarm, but today I think “depths” could also refer to conditions for doctors, nurses, and patients in the belly of a pandemic or sadness and alarm for all of us in a world that seems to be coming unhinged.

As you can see, the psalm opens with a traditional lament, in which the supplicant seems powerless to act. But then the speaker begins to reason with God and boldly press a claim. Then the discourse takes yet another turn which reminds me of a twist on an old adage: “Don’t just do something, stand there!” Four times in the last few verses the psalmist says, “I wait” or “my soul waits” for the Lord.” In the last instance the psalmist instructs all of Israel to wait: “O Israel wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy.”

Sometimes the word rendered here as “wait” is translated as “hope.” Together, they suggest that this kind of waiting is not passive but is engaged with God in the act of creating something new. What would this kind of waiting and hoping look like for us amid a crisis that seems to have no end?

Written by Bob McMath

Bob admits to finding it hard to wait patiently these days, but he takes comfort in washing dishes at Community Meals, among other things.

For my study this week I used former McMichael lecturer Chester Johnson’s translation of Psalm 130 in The Book of Common Prayer.