A few years ago, I came across a hymn by Martin Luther based off of Psalm 130. At the time, I needed a psalm to express some laments, and Luther’s words helped me to grieve with hope. Quickly, Psalm 130 became a favourite of mine.
Luther called Psalm 130 a Pauline Psalm because in it the Psalmist confesses his sins and receives forgiveness by grace apart from works. Luther loved this psalm and would write this hymn to capture the beauty of lament that trusts in Christ’s grace:
From the depths of woe I raise to Thee a voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication.
If Thou iniquities dost mark, our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
Oh, who shall stand before Thee?
To wash away the crimson stain, grace alone availeth.
Our works, alas, are all in vain, in much the best life faileth.
No man can glory in Thy sight; all must confess Thy power and might
And live alone by mercy.
Therefore my trust is in the Lord and not in my own merit;
On Him shall rest my soul; His Word upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort, and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
What though I wait the live-long night, and till the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in his might, it doubteth not nor feareth.
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, ye of the Spirit born indeed
And wait ‘til God appeareth.
Though great our sins and sore our woes, his grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows, our utmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd, good and true is He, who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.
John Wesley said that this psalm was the one he heard as a vesper in the afternoon that moved his soul greatly, preparing his heart to receive the words later that evening from Luther’s introduction to Romans that moved his heart to trust in Christ on May 24, 1738, giving him such great hope in the grace of God.
And the Puritan John Owen would devote 323 pages to Psalm 130 because of how deeply it moved him, spending ¾ of his exposition on v. 4 alone. Owen would share that there had been a point in his life where he was so sick he nearly died and was despairing. “My soul,” he said, “was oppressed with horror and darkness; but God graciously relieved my spirit by a powerful application of Psalm 130:4, ‘But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared’ [KJV], from whence I received special instruction, peace and comfort in drawing near to God through the Mediator, and preached thereupon immediately after my recovery” 1
Most recently, Shane & Shane have written the modern hymn “I Will Wait for You” based off of Psalm 130:
Out of the depths I cry to you,
In darkest places I will call;
Incline your ear to me anew,
And hear my cry for mercy, Lord.
When we see that Christians have been praying the psalms for generations, we will discover that there is a psalm for every season of the soul. They perfectly express the emotions of the human heart and have been given to us by God for our good and for his glory.
So pray the psalms! Find that God’s inspired Word gives you the words you need when you need to pray.
Praying with you and the saints throughout the ages,
–Andrew
- John Owen, “Prefatory Note” to “A Practical Exposition upon Psalm 130” in The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Gold, vol. 6 [Edinburgh and Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1974), p. 324. ↩︎