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Psalm 130 | Lectio Divina

Psalm 130 | Lectio Divina

Last updated on: October 12, 2026 at 8:25 pm by Rev. Jared V. Ingle

Psalm 130 | Lectio Divina 2026-10-12T20:25:26-04:00 Rev. Jared V. Ingle

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Long before this Lectio Divina, Psalm 130 – the song – started playing in my mind. I looked it up.

Ellie Holcomb Wait For You – Psalm 130

I listened to it over and over again. Then I added it to a playlist where I keep songs that stick with me like this.

It’s currently the last song on the playlist, but that may change tomorrow.

I like the song for a couple reasons.

First there is a gentle flow to the lyrics and to the music. It all fits together with the thoughts from Psalm 130.

Secondly, Ellie Holcomb takes poetic license to reinterpret Psalm 130.

Did you know Ellie Holcomb was mentored by Amy Grant?

Psalm 130 – the Scripture

Lo and behold Psalm 130 was my next reading in my Scripture schedule!

I really don’t take this lightly. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence.

I’ve been listening to Scripture online this year. I’ve been listening to the NKJV as read by the poet Tinasha LaRaye.

To hear Psalm 130 CLICK

I really like the way Tinasha LaRaye reads Scripture and the emphasis she places on it. It must be because she’s a poet.

Lectio Divina

First of all, I need to explain my use of Lectio Divina and what it is.

It is an ancient way of both meditating on Scripture and interpreting Scripture.

It finds its roots in the Catholic Church, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. There are forms of meditation on Scripture in the Eastern Orthodox Church, but Lectio Divina is Catholic in its origins.

Like I said, it is not only a way of meditating, but it is also a way of interpreting. It is not just open meditation, but it has a structure that actually helps you understand the Scripture in a new light.

There are historically 4 movements and at some point a 5th one was added.

Lectio (reading)
Meditatio (meditation)
Oratio (prayer)
Contemplatio (contemplation)
Actio or Formatio (outcome in daily life)

I will let you look up more information about it. You can find information all over the web.

Secondly, I should say that I discovered it at a time when my devotional life was a little dry. I have read through the Bible since I was a teenager, usually in a year and a half or two years. When I tried Lectio Divina it was a little difficult at first. I’m not gonna lie. But as I practiced it more often, it became more natural. It was at that point that my Scripture reading was completely refreshed. This would’ve been around 2012-2013.

observations about Psalm 130

I’m not going to go through all the steps in order here, but simply offer some observations from Lectio Divina. As I read it again right now, I am struck with a couple of aspects of the Psalm.

One aspect of the Psalm is the repetition. This is more than parallelism. This is the repetition of certain words and phrases.

Lord is used 8 times.

Iniquities is used twice.

A form of the word wait is used 3 times.

The whole phrase, “more than those who watch for the morning,” is used twice.

Redeem is used twice.

I could be missing something because I am not studying it in the original language. But the Psalm seems to hinge on these repetitions. They certainly add more meaning to the reading.

I’m particularly struck by the waiting

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits… my soul waits for the Lord” (Psalm 130.5-6, NRSV).

There is plenty of personal stuff for me to meditate on and to pray about. The waiting… it’s what I’m all about in this season and tonight. I’ve done all I can do to make progress today, so I wait on the Lord.

As I move into Contemplatio and Formatio I’m struck one again with the repetition. I didn’t see this till just now. Out of all the repetitions, the waiting is the only one that’s used 3 times. I draw it in, reminding myself of the power of 3 in all of Scripture. More than analyzing Scripture I am experiencing the power of waiting on the Lord.

I can’t put it all in words. Words fail me.

I’m going to be okay.

Life is hard right now…

but God is good.

His ways are higher than my ways…

and He certainly is worth waiting on!

Instead of waiting on Him, I can wait IN the Lord.

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