The Second Sunday in Lent (Ps) March 16th

Psalm 130:1-8

¹  Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

²        O Lord, hear my voice!

       Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³    If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

⁴    But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared.

⁵    I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

⁶    my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷    O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

⁸    And he will redeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

The Fifth Petition

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

What does this mean?

We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

O God, you see that of ourselves we have no strength.  By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.