Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 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.
Psalm 130:1-4

Play the song of brokenness and forgiveness

Music is powerful. Music gives voice to feelings. You hear a song a song and think, “That’s exactly how I feel.” One of my favorite bands during my teen years was Nirvana, which made somewhat of a resurgence over the last year or so. Nirvana’s last recorded song was “All Apologies.” It’s considered lead singer Kurt Cobain’s swan song as well as his final farewell. A couple of lines from that song read: “What else should I be? All apologies… Everything’s my fault. I take all the blame.” Words like these can only come from a crushed soul acutely aware of his damning faults.

Sounds a lot like the writer of Psalm 130. But this is where the similarity between Cobain and the psalmist ends. You see, Cobain despaired entirely. His songs became anthems of his death.

But not the psalmist. By God’s grace, he knew that in spite of his many sins, he was a forgiven child of God. Listen: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord, if you kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” He already knew the answer—no one. What’s his comfort? It’s this: “with you there is forgiveness.”
Thank God that you, too, can sing the words of Psalm 130. You are forgiven, restored, and a dear child of God himself. Then in awe and reverence, live your life of meaning, joy, and service. Let it be your whole life’s song of confession.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come before you with a humble and sorrowful heart. I confess to you all that I have done and left undone. I recognize that for all these sins and my very sinful condition, I deserve nothing but separation from you forever. I praise you that you have removed my sins entirely through Jesus and in grace invite me to confess all to you. Help me to always confess my sins all because of the sweet music of your forgiveness. Amen.

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