Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
--Psalm 130
Scripturally, our work week has begun or ended (as the case may be) in what the psalmist called the depths. It doesn't sound like a happy place to be.
Some depths can be economic. As of this writing, the American economy is on shaky ground. A credit crisis is underway. Unemployment rises. Debt and uncertainty for the future are unavoidable it seems. Other depths may relate to health or the absence thereof; the doctor tells of the metastasis of the cancer. The points is that we have been there and likely will be there again.
Prayers and pleas like Psalm 130 are not the stuff of serene Sunday mornings. They are more like what have been called "911 prayers" or "foxhole prayers." They may even bargain with God along these lines: "Lord, if you get me out of this jam, I promise to change my life."
But there's no bargaining with the psalmist here. The psalmist wants only to be heard by the Lord. We'll meditate further on this as the week unfolds. The appointed Gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43) tells the story of at least two people who were in the depths.
In the meantime, rest assured that there is no wax in our Lord's ears -- or earplugs. Your prayers always have a hearing.
PD
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