A Message of Inspiration From the Author of Living Loved, November 30, 2025

Out of the Depths

Hey friends read with me Psalm 130, where the writer of Psalm is crying out from the depths.  Ever been there friends?  In the depths of brokenness or the depths of motherhood or the depths of depression. Whatever depths you have found yourself in, this Psalm is sure to speak to your heart!  

“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice.” – Psalm 130:1

Psalm 130 is a song of the soul written from the lowest place a person can be—the depths. These are not shallow waters of inconvenience or mild frustration friends. These depths speak of crushing guilt, overwhelming sorrow, deep repentance, and desperate need for God’s mercy. Yet this psalm shows us something powerful friends: it shows us that the depths are often where the truest cries to God are born. Where we find ourselves desperate for Him! 

The psalmist does not deny the weight of his sin or pain. He acknowledges it honestly before God. There is no pretending, no hiding, no spiritual performance—only a desperate cry: “Lord, hear my voice!” And friends this teaches us that God is not offended by our broken cries. In fact, He invites them.  He moves in them.   When life presses us down and we feel buried by shame, regret, fear, brokenness, burdened or grief, we are not disqualified from God’s presence—we are positioned for it.  Friends!! We are positioned for IT!  For his Presence!! 

Then comes one of the most comforting truths in all of Scripture:

“If You, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve You.” (vv. 3–4)

This is the heartbeat of Psalm 130. Friends listen, God does not keep score the way we fear He might. If He did, none of us would survive spiritually. And friends, listen why do we keep score?  Here’s the beauty, instead of condemnation, He offers forgiveness and LOVE. And notice why He forgives—not so we can live casually, but so we can serve Him with reverence. Grace does not lead to careless living; it leads to WORSHIP! 

The psalmist then shifts from crying to waiting:

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.” (v. 5)

Waiting is not passive here friends—it is active trust. It is anchoring the soul to God’s Word, to His promises, when circumstances have not yet changed.  Here he waits with the intensity of a watchman waiting for morning—desperate but confident that the light will come. That the Lord will deliver.  This is the posture of faith: trusting God when the night feels long, believing that His mercy will arrive right on time. And oh friends, how it does!!! 

Finally friends,the psalm moves from personal prayer to public proclamation:

“Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption.” (v. 7)

What began as a personal cry becomes a message for all of us friends. The psalmist has tasted the mercy of God in the depths and now calls others to trust Him too. And not partial redemption—full redemption. God does not only lift us out of despair; He restores what was lost, cleanses what was broken, and rewrites what sin tried to destroy.  Oh friends you are so loved!!  With an unfailing love that is full of redemption!! 

Friends, in this season when grief gets heavy, when comparison steals our joy, when loneliness gets harder, and life seems to be hard, Psalm 130 reminds us that no depth we may find ourselves is deeper than God’s mercy. No failure is greater than His forgiveness. No night is longer than His faithfulness. And friends, we may cry out to Him from the depths, but we will never cry beyond His reach.   He never leaves us or forsakes us and His love is unfailing, His mercy never ending, and his grace sufficient.  You are so loved friends, live loved!! 

About the author

Tracy Kelley is a follower of Jesus, mother, grandmother, author and speaker, living in Sulphur Springs, TX.   She is the author of the book Living Loved, Learning to Live in the Fullness of Gods Love, where she shares encouragement from her daily journey and how God has shown His love to her through various trials.  You can buy her book, find events, book her for your event, and follow her by going to her Facebook page, where you will always be greeted as friend!  You can purchase her book at Good News Book Store in Sulphur Springs, TX; online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most other major retailers.