Today’s post is part of our Psalm Saturdays series from guest blogger Robert Chamberlain.
Psalm 143:1–12 (ESV)
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.
We long for God to hear our prayers, our pleas for mercy. We trust He will because He is faithful and righteous. We don’t want Him to judge us as we deserve, if He did, none of us could stand.
The ultimate enemy of our souls is the devil, who wants us to enter the darkness he inhabits. Sometimes, even as God’s people, it might feel, appallingly, that Satan has defeated us. In such cases, we do well to remember God’s faithfulness to us in times past.
Raising our hands in worship isn’t some modern innovation: it has ancient precedents. Spiritual thirst isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because God promises spiritually dehydrated people that He will satisfy them. We long for a speedy answer from the Lord before we lose hope.
His love is unfailing and His guidance is always right. His deliverance is assured in Christ, and He is assuredly a safe place for us to find refuge. We ought always to seek God’s will in our lives.
We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God has set His name upon us, so for His name’s sake we long for Him to have regard for our prayers. In His goodness we want Him to save us from our troubles.
Because God loves us, He will vindicate us against our enemies, all the spiritual forces of evil that war against us. Satan and his demons will ultimately and assuredly be destroyed. God looks after His servants.
“O Lord, may we always find in You the safety that we need. Please vindicate us as we seek to live for You our Saviour. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
**If you enjoy reading Shaped by the Word, please consider sharing this post on social media. Doing so helps us reach a larger audience. Thanks for reading!
Follow Shaped by the Word on WordPress or Facebook.
