Faith Daily Lectio Friday, October 23, 2026 Morning Psalm
Friday, October 23, 2026 · St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr (Friday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24)
Morning Psalm
Oratio (prayer)
Lord, out of the depths I call to You this morning. Send Your Holy Spirit as I pray Psalm 130, that I may wait on Your Word and hope in Your forgiveness in Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Psalm 130
A Song of degrees.
1Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
2Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:6)
What other lines speak to you?
The Law "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (v. 3). The honest answer is no one. If God kept a record of our sins, we could not stand before Him for a moment. That is why the Psalm begins "Out of the depths" (v. 1).
The Gospel "But there is forgiveness with thee" (v. 4). God does not keep the record. In Christ He has torn it up, "for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption" (v. 7). And "he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities" (v. 8). Jesus is that redemption, and it is for you, not for some of your sins but for all of them.
Prayer Lord, I confess that I cannot stand before You on my own. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Let me hear again this morning that there is forgiveness with You, and teach me to hope in Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Some trials feel like the bottom of a pit, and waiting is all we can do. The Psalmist waits "more than they that watch for the morning" (v. 6). Under trial it may help to wait the way a night watchman waits, sure that morning will come, because "in his word do I hope" (v. 5).
Prayer Lord, when I am in the depths, hear my voice. Keep me waiting on You and hoping in Your Word until the morning comes. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
