Psalm 86

Psalm 86:1-4
A Prayer of David. Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

 Out of the Depths I Cry to You LBW 295

 1    Out of the depths I cry to you; O Father, hear me calling.
     Incline your ear to my distress in spite of my rebelling.
      Do not regard my sinful deeds. Send me the grace my spirit needs;
      without it I am nothing.

2    All things you send are full of grace; you crown our lives with favor.
      All our good works are done in vain without our Lord and Savior.
      We praise the God who gives us faith and saves us from the grip of death;
      our lives are in his keeping.

3    It is in God that we shall hope, and not in our own merit.
      We rest our fears in his good Word and trust his Holy Spirit.
      His promise keeps us strong and sure; we trust the holy signature
      inscribed upon our temples.

4    My soul is waiting for the Lord as one who longs for morning;
      no watcher waits with greater hope than I for his returning.
      I hope as Israel in the Lord; he sends redemption through his Word.
      We praise him for his mercy.

Text: Martin Luther, 1483-1546; tr. Gracia Grindal, b. 1943

      Martin Luther was born in a poor mining community at a time when the things we take for granted: like education, health care, retirement, were novelties.  Luther was something of a self-made man, rising above his peers in both intelligence and ambition.  He also took his faith seriously at a time when Faith was used like a club to induce guilt or compliance.  Like many first born, Luther was driven to succeed, to please both his earthly and heavenly fathers.  But when he encountered grace, his life changed. Luther the reformer was also a talented hymn writer.  This is one of 30 he wrote, a remaking of Psalm 86, reflecting his conviction that God had reached down to saved him with grace, not with Law. He wrote; “I compose hymns so the Word of God can dwell among people; and so God’s Word will be preached to both prince and pauper alike”.

Prayer:  O God deliver us from the depths of despair, from problems that threaten us, from the hopelessness in this world.  And then raise us up to heights of gratitude and glory that like our brother, Martin, we may proclaim your Word to prince and pauper alike!  Amen.