For the week of May 18, 2026
MONDAY
Day One: The Depths
Sermon Focus: Our sin is deep…we wait for the Lord…in Him is full redemption.
Truth: Psalm 130 says, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Sermon Point: The Psalmist begins in “the depths,” a place of absolute desperation…kind of what it might feel like to be at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, crushed by darkness, pressure, and the impossibility of escape. Scripture teaches that this is our condition — our sin drags us down, enslaves us, and exposes our pride. And we are utterly unable to rescue ourselves. Even as Christians, we are not spared suffering, decay, or the ongoing battle with sin. Yet the hope of the Gospel is that when we are at the very bottom, with no strength and no options, the God who is all‑present, all‑powerful, and all‑knowing hears our cry and can rescue us.
Sermon Reflection: Where do you currently feel the “depths” in your own life – places where you are painfully aware that you cannot rescue yourself?
Application: Before you head to bed tonight, find the darkest room you can and spend five minutes in silence there. While you do, consider the depths of your own sin and your complete inability to rescue yourself from its death and destruction in your life. Allow it to stir in you a deeper gratitude for the mercy and grace poured out on us in Christ.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for His rescuing mercy and goodness. Pray that we would all truly see the depths of our sin and the heights of God’s amazing grace and love. Pray that the Holy Spirit would break the alluring power and temptation of sin in our lives so that we might live for God’s Glory Alone.
- Pray today for those people in your life who don’t know or perhaps don’t believe that they can cry out to God, no matter how deep their depths may go. Pray that God will give you opportunities to share your faith and the Hope of Christ with them.
TUESDAY
Day Two: Hear My Voice
Sermon Focus: Our sin is deep…we wait for the Lord…in Him is full redemption.
Truth: Psalm 130 says, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Sermon Point: The Psalmist cries out for mercy. We are sinful and utterly unworthy people, and we have no right to stand before an all‑powerful God or demand that He hear us. Scripture reminds us that our pride, depravity, and helplessness place us in the depths, deserving judgment, and that only a humble, contrite heart is the posture God honors. It is sheer grace that the Holy God bends His ear toward us, and the Psalmist recognizes both how low we truly are and how merciful God is to listen at all.
Sermon Reflection: Where does pride or a sense of entitlement keep you from approaching God with a truly contrite heart?
Application: Take out a piece of paper and write down every single sin you can ever remember choosing. As the list keeps getting longer, think about that area of pride or entitlement with which you struggle. How does it look when viewed against your record of sins?
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray that continual repentance would mark all of our lives – that we would come to hate our sin more and more, resisting it through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that we would abandon our self-reliance and fully submit to and rest in God’s rescuing mercy and grace.
- Thank God for His gracious compassion – that He is a God who is attentive to our cries for mercy when we come to Him with a humble posture.
WEDNESDAY
Day Three: Forgiveness and Fear
Sermon Focus: Our sin is deep…we wait for the Lord…in Him is full redemption.
Truth: Psalm 130 says, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Sermon Point: The good news is that with God there is forgiveness, made possible for us not through animal sacrifices but through the once‑for‑all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose death makes us right with God by grace alone. In light of such undeserved mercy, our proper response is to fear the Lord — to stand in awe, reverence, and trembling before the One who is utterly holy and sovereign. And because God is always the first mover, choosing us and rescuing us, we now live in obedient response to His call, carrying out His mission rather than being paralyzed by fear.
Sermon Reflection: Where in your life might God be calling you to cultivate a posture of awe and reverence, letting fear of the Lord steady you rather than fear of people or circumstances?
Application: Casting aside all worldly fears because you have a healthy fear of God…carry out God’s mission today and go make disciples, for His Glory Alone.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank God that He is and has always been the first mover in our lives. Thank Him for His plan of salvation that was present before the foundation of the world. Thank Him for sending His Son to rescue His beloved children from the depths of our sin.
- Pray that when we repent, we would truly receive God’s forgiveness and not allow shame to overshadow the joy of new life we have in Christ. Pray that we would be people who are quick to forgive others because we are so amazed and grateful for the forgiveness that’s extended to us.
THURSDAY
Day Four: Waiting
Sermon Focus: Our sin is deep…we wait for the Lord…in Him is full redemption.
Truth: Psalm 130 says, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Sermon Point: A life of faith is one marked by season of waiting, and the Psalmist describes this with a depth of longing that surpasses even a watchman straining for the first light of dawn. A watchman’s entire task was to stay alert through the darkness, guarding the city under immense pressure, longing for morning when danger passed and rest finally came. In the same way, we wait for the Lord with our whole being — alert, steadfast, and resisting the attacks of the evil one as we cling to God’s promises. One day the long night will break, the light will appear, and we will stand glorified in His presence, finally able to rest.
Sermon Reflection: What does it look like to worship while you wait on the Lord for something you long for?
Application: Before you go to bed tonight, check out when the sun is supposed to rise tomorrow. Then, set an alarm to go off 10 minutes earlier. As you wait for the first light of dawn, spend some time meditating on and praying through this psalm.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray that we would become people who wait well; that our souls will trust in the Lord – in His timing, in His promises, in His wisdom in all things. Thank Him for His mercy and grace at work in all circumstances and at all times.
- Pray for yourself or anyone you know who has been in a season of waiting – pray that we would have eyes to see how and where God is at work, even in the waiting. Pray that we would long for God’s Glory even more than we want whatever it is we’re waiting for.
FRIDAY
Day Five: Hope and Full Redemption
Sermon Focus: Our sin is deep…we wait for the Lord…in Him is full redemption.
Truth: Psalm 130 says, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Sermon Point: The Psalmist places his hope in the Lord and in His Word, knowing that God’s unfailing love and promised redemption are the only rescue from the depths. Throughout Scripture, God’s covenants reveal His character and His intentions, all pointing toward the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus — the eternal King and the Living Word who brings full forgiveness and freedom from sin. Those who trust in Christ are lifted from total darkness into total redemption, justified by grace, set on the narrow path of sanctification, and destined for eternal life with Him.
Sermon Reflection: In what areas of your life do you still live as though you’re in the shadows, rather than as someone lifted into total redemption, justified by grace, and walking the narrow path of sanctification?
Application: Spend some time in repentance for those areas where you are still living in the shadows. Receive God’s forgiveness for your disobedience and then ask Him to give you the strength and courage to take just one next step of faith today. When you take it, thank Him for His faithfulness and ask Him to help you take the next step…and the next…and the next…
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank and praise God that He is a God of unfailing love and full redemption; He is so good to us! Praise and thank Him for His living and active Word. Pray that we would believe His promises and trust in His faithfulness. Pray that we would sow His Word into our hearts every single day that we might live in obedience to it, for His Glory Alone.
- Pray for our upcoming corporate worship on Sunday. Pray that every single person will be encouraged and built up in their faith – that Truth will be pursued – that unity among us would be guarded – that our conversations would be gracious and seasoned with salt – that eyes and ears would be open and responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit – that next steps would be identified and taken. And that in and through every moment, God’s Glory Alone would be our chief aim.