Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Psalm 139 and Psalm 130

Today you’re invited to memorise Psalm 130:1-2:
¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
² Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy.

First commit those verses to memory and then meditate on them throughout the day in light of Psalm 139:7-8,

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

The answer to the rhetorical questions in v.7 is evidently, “Nowhere!”. God is not absent anywhere. On the contrary, God’s presence is everywhere. Certainly, the depths of guilt and shame can cut us off from God relationally, but they never cause God to be actually absent. Hence the psalmist proclaims God’s omnipresence, even in “the depths” (v.8). No matter what our circumstances today or what we feel emotionally, the Living God, our Creator and Father is with us. When we cry out to Him for His merciful intervention, He is attentive to our voices and He listens to us in love. It is not only His “ears” (Ps. 130:2) that are attentive to our cries for mercy, but His heart too.

Take some time now to think ahead to your daily schedule. Where do you already anticipate needing God’s merciful hand to be at work in your day. Speak to Him about your needs, and trust in His loving presence to be with you at all such moments.

Lord, I commit my day to You. Whether each moment be high or low, I trust that You are with me, and that Your powerful hand will hold me fast and keep me in Your love. Amen!

Today’s Psalm 130 musical item is by Keith and Kristen Getty and can be found (and enjoyed) here.