Psalms for Lent 2013 (5), Psalm 143: A cry for mercy during times of hardship.

Psalm 143:  A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

We have no right on the grounds of our own merit to plead with God.  We beg his mercy on the grounds of his promises, faithfulness and his mercy, freely given to those who come to him in prayer! 

² Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

We plead for mercy, fully knowing that we are God's servants. We have to obey him and we are accountable to him. We need his favour and his acceptance.

Yet we know how often we have offended him and were unfaithful in our duty to him. We must acknowledge that we deserve judgment more than mercy and favour.  If the Lord would enquire about our sin, his judgment would certainly go against us. We have no grounds for mitigation.

Yet, we encourage ourselves and each other to seek mercy and forgiveness. We are committed to be sincere with him as we long for his grace and his mercy!

³ The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.

“O my Lord, let me find mercy with you, for I will find no mercy with other people!”

⁴ So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

Sadness and desolation often overwhelms us as a result of our faithless acts and the consequences of our weak human nature.  Even David the mighty, brave soldier admits that he sometimes wanted to faint during times of hardship.

⁵ I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

⁶ I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.

Only divine refreshment and comfort can help me.  This relief comes to us when we remember God’s great acts of mercy in the past.

Not only in our own lives, but specifically in the story of God’s grace as he dealt with his people over the centuries.

As we remember the suffering and death of our Lord and rejoice in the victory of his resurrection, we will find the courage to hold onto God’s mercy for relief and rest on God’s grace for answers.  .

Look at the urgency and the willingness of the psalmist to beg God’s swift answers, to proclaim the need for his love, to utter a desperate call for his help and, for his Name sake, our urgent pleas for his preservation.

Pray these following verses earnestly, believing that our Lord is merciful and that his love endures always:

⁷ Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

⁸ Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

⁹ Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.

¹⁰ Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

¹¹ For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

¹² In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

Amen.