April 1st Reflection - The Depths - by Bill Lynch

Psalm 130
A Song of Ascents.
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.

Reflection - The Depths
O Lord, I call out your name even from the midst of these great walls.
   I seek your ear to hear my plea.
For I know that my voice bursts through these thick walls of pain and suffering.
   I know that your mercy is such that you hear my cry from the depths of my sin.
Yes, you alone Lord can hear my confession, my plea, my need.

Lord, your forgiveness is what I seek.
   Your healing, and recreation I need each day.
For you alone can forgive and build me new .
   Yes, it is only through your Word that I can burst forth from the belly of the fish.
You, dear Lord, have rescued your people throughout all time.

Lord, your mercy and love are everlasting and never ending.
   You show your love to those I hate.
You demonstrate your love and mercy to all the people.
   I call out for this Love of Christ and this Spirit of Mercy.
For I know you rush to the sinner who repents and turns your way.

And then I find that you have been with me all along the way.
   In the depths of my sin, my pain, my suffering and even my evil.
You are there with me in the belly of the fish.
   You are there to cast me upon the shore of renewed life and purpose.
Yes, O Lord, life is only in you and in your great redemption.

I leave you with a beautiful hymn for your reflection and prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yETRxtYIL-E

Prayer
Lord, as I think of Jonah in the belly of the fish, remember me in the depths of my sin, my illness, my depression, my pain, my separation and draw me out into your Light of day... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen