I remember the days of old; …
I meditate on the works of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you, Living God;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. - vv. 5-6
Psalm 143 gives voice to a weary faith that refuses to pretend. The psalmist pleads for mercy, not because of righteousness, but because survival depends on God’s steadfast love. Memory becomes resistance — remembering what God has done becomes fuel for endurance when the spirit feels crushed.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for when we choose honest prayer over polished performance, persistence over despair, hope over numbness. In this sacred season, the work before us is not self-salvation, but daily trust — stretching out our hands toward God and one another, believing that guidance still comes, even in the dry places.
1
Listen, Lord, as I pray!
You are faithful and honest
and will answer my prayer.
2
I am your servant.
Don't try me in your court,
because no one is innocent
by your standards.
3
My enemies are chasing me,
crushing me in the ground.
I am in total darkness,
like someone long dead.
4
I have given up hope,
and I feel numb all over.
5
I remember to think about
the many things you did
in years gone by.
6
Then I lift my hands in prayer,
because my soul is a desert,
thirsty for water from you.
7
Please hurry, Lord,
and answer my prayer.
I feel hopeless.
Don't turn away
and leave me here to die.
8
Each morning let me learn
more about your love
because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
asking for your guidance.
9
Please rescue me
from my enemies, Lord!
I come to you for safety.
10
You are my God. Show me
what you want me to do,
and let your gentle Spirit
lead me in the right path.
So what does unleashing the Bible into our lives offer us?
1. We are rooted in the reality of God’s greater story. In verse 5, David speaks of memory, meditation and musing on God’s past activity. He had his own story, and he had the stories passed down from his ancestors. And as we read our Bibles we will be lifted out of the one square metre of our own experience and struggles. We will be reminded that we are part of a much bigger story that stretches across all centuries and all continents, from eternity past to eternity future, a story that is being written by God himself. We need that because life has a habit of sucking us into the vortex of our own struggles.
2. We are reminded that our greatest need is God. In verse 6, David describes his awareness of his own great need. His soul was like a parched land desperately thirsty for God. Even in our greatest struggles, we have an innate ability to assume we are just being unlucky. If God would just give us that promotion, or a lucky lottery ticket, or a perfect spouse, or a new spouse, or a new job, or whatever … if we could just get a fair set of circumstances then we would be able to succeed in life. Really? When we spend time in God’s Word we are reminded that actually what we need is not financial or circumstantial, it is profoundly spiritual. We need God. Desperately.
3. Our responsiveness to God is stirred by His steadfast love. In the beginning of verse 8 David refers to God’s steadfast love – perhaps the key theme of the Old Testament. You can find references to this proactive, selfless, loyal love on page after page of the Psalms. And as we read the Bible we are stirred to respond to that love as we see God’s faithfulness to his people, God’s self-giving for those he loves. We cannot work up faith within ourselves, but as we glimpse God’s steadfast love, then a response of trust is stirred within us.
4. We are redirected to live our lives by God’s good Spirit. The second half of verse 8 speaks of being shown the way to go. In verse 10 David asks for God to teach him to do God’s will, and for God’s good Spirit to lead him on level ground. When we are convinced of God’s favour toward us then the next step is not only trust, but also obedience. It may be that unleashing God’s Word in your life this year will mean God takes you to levels of obedience you never thought possible. Maybe areas of your life that you have tried and failed to fix, and now are ingrained in your rhythms of life, and you feel defeated and resigned to living with the secret shame…maybe that is where the light of God’s Word might shine in the coming days! Trust Him, and be willing to obey.
5. We are revived by our encounter with God. In the final two verses, David is clearly concerned about his life. So the request is translated as “preserve my life” in verse 11. Essentially the “preserve” is supplied by the context, but what he asks for is life. Whether asking for preserved life or revived life, God is the right person to be asking. As we engage with God in His Word, the deep cry of our parched souls for life can be answered because God is a God of steadfast love toward us.
Psalm 143
A Psalm of David.
Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgement with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.
For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing my life to the ground,
making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
I remember the days of old,
I think about all your deeds,
I meditate on the works of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah
Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.
For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
and destroy all my adversaries,
for I am your servant.
