Turn your face from my sins and blot out all my misdeeds.[1]
There is forgiveness with the Lord
Psalm 130 NRSV
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! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Matthew Henry
The only way of relief for a sin-entangled soul, is by applying to God alone. Many things present themselves as diversions, many things offer themselves as remedies, but the soul finds that the Lord alone can heal. And until men are sensible of the guilt of sin, and quit all to come at once to God, it is in vain for them to expect any relief. The Holy Ghost gives to such poor souls a fresh sense of their deep necessity, to stir them up in earnest applications, by the prayer of faith, by crying to God. And as they love their souls, as they are concerned for the glory of the Lord, they are not to be wanting in this duty. Why is it that these matters are so long uncertain with them? Is it not from sloth and despondency that they content themselves with common and customary applications to God? Then let us up and be doing; it must be done, and it is attended with safety. We are to humble ourselves before God, as guilty in his sight. Let us acknowledge our sinfulness; we cannot justify ourselves or plead not guilty. It is our unspeakable comfort that there is forgiveness with him, for that is what we need. Jesus Christ is the great Ransom; he is ever an Advocate for us, and through him we hope to obtain forgiveness. There is forgiveness with thee, not that thou mayest be presumed upon, but that thou mayest be feared. The fear of God often is put for the whole worship of God. The only motive and encouragement for sinners is this, that there is forgiveness with the Lord. [2]
Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 6
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof
Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.
O Lord, all knowing, most wise God! Our Father, you have searched me and known me.
You have looked into the deepest desires of my heart. You know my secret loyalties as well as my hesitations. You know my doubts and my reservations.
All knowing and still all loving Father, have mercy on us, for we have gotten confused. We love you and we love your ways, yet we have loved the world, too.
O Lord, our Father, have mercy on us. We have been wayward. We have fled your presence. We have even made our bed in Hell, and somehow you discovered us there, too. All knowing and still all loving Father, have mercy on us.
O Lord, all knowing, most wise God! Our Father, have mercy on us! Grant to us purity of heart. Focus our erratic desires. Unite us in Christ. Grant that in him we may find integrity, that our hearts may be yours and yours alone.
To Christ, our Savior, then, be all praise, all honor and glory, together with you, O Father and Holy Spirit. One God, now and evermore. Amen.[3]
From Depths of Woe
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1]Psalm 51:9 Coverdale Psalter
[2] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ps 130:1.
[3] A prayer by Hughes Oliphant Old, based on Psalm 139, used as a corporate confession at Cayce Presbyterian Church, Cayce, SC on Sunday March 15, 2026.
