Psalms 143:1

The Bible says in Psalm 143:1-2, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.[2] And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” It is interesting that the Psalmist mentions God’s “faithfulness” and “righteousness” in association with prayer. First John 1:9 does the same thing. It says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus is faithful to forgive our sins, and to answer our prayers. To be faithful means that He is consistent. It is a great challenge for human beings to try and be consistent, but Jesus is always consistent. He is faithful. He always forgives and He always answers prayer. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). The fact that Jesus always forgives the person who confesses and always answers prayer is tied to the fact that He is righteous. The word that is translated “just” in First John 1:9 means “righteous.” God always does what is right and what is good. It is the right thing for Jesus to forgive sin and answer prayer because He died on the cross for our sins. There is therefore, no impediment and no obstacle to us coming to the Lord and being confident of forgiveness and acceptance from Him. That is the reason that He will not judge us who come to Him: His blood was shed as the punishment for sin. When the Psalmist says at the end of verse two, “for in thy sight shall no man living be justified,” he is talking about the doctrine of salvation. We are all sinners. No one could be accepted based upon their own good works because God knows about all of our sins too. Titus 3:5-6, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;[6] Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;” Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

The Bible says in Psalm 143:3-5, “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.[4] Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.[5] I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.” Anyone can be crushed by life. The worse things of life could happen to anyone. Enemies, opposition, heartbreak, and terrible disasters can happen. It all happened to Job. One reason for suicide is that some people are so hurt and disappointed by what life brought to them that they cannot bear it any longer, or so they think. But these verses show two things that can be done to avoid reacting the wrong way to your sorrows. The first is to pray. God can fix anything. He can fix your heart. God can turn the tables. He can heal any wound. He can replace your sorrow with joy and your doubt with great faith. He can fix it. He can change other peoples’ hearts too. God can totally transform your circumstances. In verse five the Psalmist tells something else we can do to handles the difficult things of life. Notice the words “remember,” “meditate,” and “muse.” Think about good things, and especially the good things about God. One of the values of the Bible is that it tells us things that God did for others in the past. If you have a history of following the Lord Jesus, then you also have your own history of many things that God has done for you. Think about the good things that God has already done. He is going to do more good things. That is what He does. He answers prayers, He performs miracles, He changes hearts, He arranges circumstances for His glory. He has always done that, and He will keep doing it. It says in Philippines 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

The Bible says in Psalm 143:6-7, “I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.[7] Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.” Verse six is all about seeking the Lord. Everyone seeks something. We seek what is most important to us. Jesus said that we will find what we seek. Be careful what you seek. Make sure that you seek the Lord. Why are not more people close to the Lord? If they would seek Him, they would be closer to Him. If you do not have a close walk with the Lord Jesus, guess whose fault that is. And guess who can change it. Stretch forth your hands as someone might do who is reaching for something that they really value and it is right there within their reach if only they will stretch out their arms. Jesus is stretching His hands to you. If you do not know Him as Savior, He wants you to come to Him. If you already know Him as Savior, He wants you to come closer to Him. Have you ever been really thirsty, such as after working out in a dusty field on a hot summer day? There is nothing like cold, clear water to quench your thirst. Jesus is the living water. Do you have a thirst for the Savior, and for what only He can provide?

What happens to believers who do not get close to the Lord the way that David did? The answer is found at the end of verse seven, “lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.” This is probably the pit of hell. David is a believer, and yet he knows that his life could be just like an unbeliever. Jesus is the vine. If we are not attached to the vine daily, then we will not bear fruit. A believer can be just as bad as an unbeliever because we are still in the flesh. But when we confess our sins daily and seek the Lord, we stay in fellowship with Jesus and keep following Him.

The Bible says in Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” In this verse the Psalmist asks for two things. He asks to hear from God in the morning at the start of the day, and the Psalmist asks to be guided in the way that he takes. Notice that David wanted to hear about God’s “lovingkindness.” That refers to God’s love and mercy toward us. Because we are sinners, it will not help us a lot to hear about God’s judgment against sin except maybe to warn us about our future actions. But we have already sinned, and so warnings about judgment to come will not help us unless we are not saved and need a reason to turn to Christ. We need to hear about forgiveness, and mercy, and love, and kindness that is bestowed upon us no matter what. We certainly have all that and much more through Christ, but it is always good to be reminded about it; and no one can remind us as well as the Holy Spirit. What will a day bring forth? A good start to the day will always be a reminder of the “lovingkindness” of God. One day can change everything. Be ready for it. Every day has its challenges and decisions. The path that we take will be dependent upon the decisions that we make: what we do with our time, how we respond to each situation of the day. We need the Lord’s help to “know the way” wherein we should walk. And we will not find it unless we seek help from Him.

The Bible says in Psalm 143:9, “Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.” The Lord is a fortress. When you are in the fortress, you are safe. Coming to the Lord is the same as going into a fortress. Do not look for revenge upon your enemies, but look for the Lord. He can do anything. He can deliver you from the enemies of your soul. He can find a hiding place for you and for your soul: if you seek Him.

The Bible says in Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” Like many verses in the Bible, there is a lot in this verse. First David asks God to “teach” him. God is the best teacher of all. Of course, that is one of the things that Jesus was known for: His great teachings. If you have not learned from the Lord what He wants to teach you, then you have not learned at all. David needed to learn the same thing that we all need to learn: how to do God’s will. The biggest mistake that you or I will ever make is to do our own will instead of God’s will. We want to do God’s will because He is God and we are His servants. He knows better than we do. He knows the outcome. The way that God leads us is by His Spirit. This Psalm says, “thy spirit is good,” and therefore, the Spirit knows the way that we should go. Sometimes the Spirit uses the Word of God to touch our hearts and lead us. The Spirit might speak in a still small voice. If He does, are you willing and desiring to listen? Christians are told, “Quench not the Spirit.” He wants to lead you because He knows what is best and what is good (uprightness). It says in Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

The Bible says in Psalm 143:11-12, “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.[12] And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.” To “quicken” comes from a word that means “to give life to” or “to live.” Believers already have spiritual life, but that does not mean that they are living the way they should in fellowship with the Lord. Many Christians need to be revived. The need a renewal of their desire to serve the Lord Jesus. In verse eleven David gives two reasons that the Lord would “quicken” him or any believer: “for thy name's sake,” and “for thy righteousness' sake.” God wants to use His children in this life for His glory. What a privilege that is! But we cannot be used in that way unless we have a revival in our soul, and only the Lord can bring such a revival. It will take “mercy” from God as is mentioned in verse twelve. The unbelievers and the foolish ones have the upper hand in our land. In the age in which we live, in a spiritual way we need the Lord to “cut off” our enemies and “destroy all them that afflict” us and our land. Maybe He will destroy what they have become by saving their souls and changing them.

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