Today's Meditation
Read Psalm 143
1Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.
2Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.
6I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7Answer 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.
8Let 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.
9Save me, O Lord, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.
10Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
11For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.
I'm not sure if I've done a meditation on this Psalm or not. Each day normally offers three or four psalm readings in the daily lectionary, as well as an additional OT reading, one from the Gospels and another from the Epistles. I didn't like any of the other readings, so chose this Psalm (again?).
The author, attributed to King David, requests with urgency for God to hear his prayer. He does so in the beginning of this psalm and throughout asking God to answer him quickly (vs. 7). Isn't that what we all wish when we pray? We want God to hear our prayers and to answer them quickly. We want an instant answer and we want that answer to be OUR will.
Unfortunately, God doesn't work like that, even though we have often believed God does. We've even justified our causes and looked to examples in life and in scripture where God does OUR will, like a magic genie in a bottle granting us our wishes.
The purpose of prayer isn't to mold God's responses to our desires, but rather to eventually see and understand God's will and mold our needs and desires to what God would want. The purpose of prayer is to find our will nestled within God's plan. It is a shift in thought and desire, but not an easy one to accomplish. The only way to make that shift is to begin by asking God to reveal to you His will. I think David eventually comes to that understanding in vs. 8, "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."
In what areas of your life do you need to put your trust in God? How can you make the shift from, "O God, answer me instantly" to "Teach me the way I should go"?
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