psalm · 143
I Run To You
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summary
The thirsty land is exactly the ground He sends rain onto — lovingkindness comes in the morning.
lyrics
Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications; In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has smitten my life down to the ground; He has made me to dwell in darkness, As those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I stretch forth my hands unto You; My soul thirsts after You as a thirsty land. Selah. Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails; Hide not Your face from me, Lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, For I lift up my soul unto You. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies; I flee unto You to hide me. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good; Lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake; For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of Your mercy cut off mine enemies, And destroy all them that afflict my soul; For I am Your servant.
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Psalm 143: I Run To You
When you need to remember — that You're still my Shepherd.
What's Going On…
You can be in a stretch where the inside of you feels like a room with the curtains drawn — quiet and desolate, with no crisis to point to. Smitten down to the ground in a way that does not show on your face. You are dwelling in darkness like one of the long-dead. You go through the day. You come home. The desolation is still sitting there waiting.
You do not need to feel less. You need to do what David did — meditate on the days of old, stretch out the hands like dry ground waiting for water, and ask Him to cause you to hear His lovingkindness in the morning.
What It Means
He opens with mercy, not merit: "Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications; in Your faithfulness answer me… enter not into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight shall no man living be justified." He is not asking to be evaluated. He is asking to be heard. Then the desolation, named without softening: "The enemy has persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate." That last word — desolate — is the honest word. He does not call it a tough stretch. He calls it desolate.
Then the move that pulls him toward water: "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I stretch forth my hands unto You; my soul thirsts after You as a thirsty land." Memory. Meditation. Stretched-out hands. Thirst named like dry ground. Those are the four moves out of desolation, in order.
Then the line that has gotten people through the night: "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto You." Cause me to hear it. He is admitting he cannot conjure the trust himself. The close hands the rest over: "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."
Right Here, Right Now
• Right now, stretch your hands out — physically, palms up — and pray: "My soul thirsts after You as a thirsty land."
• Write this down: "What 'days of old' — what works of His hands — do I need to meditate on to keep from going further down?"
• Repeat this line when the desolation comes back tonight: "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust."
Selah
Stop. Breathe. Let dry ground turning its face up toward water sit in the part of you that has been desolate, then tell Him exactly which days of old you need Him to remind you of — out loud if you can.
Prayer
God, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications; in Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness — and please do not enter into judgment with Your servant, because nobody alive can stand to that.
My heart within me is desolate — the enemy has smitten my life down to the ground, and I have been dwelling in darkness like the long-dead.
So I remember the days of old, and I meditate on all Your works, and I stretch out my hands like a thirsty land that has nothing else to do.
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning — I do trust You; cause me to know the way I should walk, and I lift up my soul to You.
Quicken me for Your name's sake; bring my soul out of trouble for Your righteousness' sake; lead me into the land of uprightness.
You're still my Shepherd.
Stay Strong
The thirsty land is exactly the ground He sends rain onto — lovingkindness comes in the morning.
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