- Psalm 130  ("Out of the depths I cry to thee")

- Hymn meditation:

Martin Luther: "Out of deepest need I cry to thee ..." (EG 299)

- Word meditation:

„Whoever has discovered their deepest need and their most hidden weakness has at the same time found the source of true prayer like a precious valued pearl that is worth searching for everywhere.  Books about prayer or the finest prayer techniques must not prevent us from adopting the most suitable way for us, where prayer finds its source in our heart and is already at work there.

This way inevitably flows into a radical poverty.  It ends at the place in us where ‘the first cry of our physical existence resounds’ In this sense prayer doesn't come at the end of our reflexes or feelings, but pushes through the deepest center of our being like a scream. The first cry of the human being emitted at birth is not only from fear, but also its hope for help.“
Lafrance continues: „The adult is perhaps no longer aware of this, however, keeps the cry in the unconscious layers of his/her being.  With the eruption of severe pain or great joy in the midst of a crises, the vibration of this cry echoes in the body and in the heart of people.  Who of us has not had the experience of an emotional liberation when given the permission to cry our heart out? ... We experience only that which relates to the physical sphere - the sigh of fear or relief when a deep breath releases pressure in the chest after overcoming encountered difficulty - also applies to even greater suffering, painful trials and formidable temptations that help us recognize deeper wounds. They confront us so profoundly that they force an inner cry from us like Job's blasphemy .

At particular times this cry is so painful that it obscures the image of God, the very one to whom it cries.  Then it is helpful to place ourselves in the situation ... of Christ on the cross when he uttered, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and expelled a tremendously painful cry to his Father.  In the Psalms it is as though God had planned this cry for us and placed it at our disposal (through the psalm writer) so that we could cry out against the scandal of our suffering.  But we must continually allow this cry to grant new power to our prayers testing them against God's Word so it purifies our prayers and distinguishes what is genuine and deep in the midst of all the superficial cries around us.“ (Jean Lafrance)

Through a slow reading of the above text, meditate on what has become important to you.