Psalm 119 was written by a man who loved the Scriptures more than most people ever have. In the middle of it he asks God to turn his heart toward them, and to turn his eyes away from worthless things. Every line of the stanza is something he asks God to do to him — not one is a promise to try harder. This episode reads it, shows how the prayer is built, and ends with one sentence to say out loud before you open it tomorrow. No promise you'll be less bored.

David opens Psalm 28 by naming the silence to God as the problem, and says that if God stays quiet he is finished. He calls him his rock in the same breath. This episode reads the psalm, shows how the prayer is built — including the turn at verse six, where he says God has heard him and nothing in the text says the silence broke — and ends with one thing to say out loud before you open it again. No promise the next chapter will be different.

Psalm 130 was written by someone in the depths, and sung by people on the road up to Jerusalem. He doesn't argue with the standard. He agrees with it — if you kept a record of sins, who could stand — and then says something about God instead. This episode reads the psalm, shows how the prayer is built, and ends with one thing to say out loud tonight. He's still waiting at the end of it, and so might you be.