Psalm 143 opens with a prayer for deliverance (again!)

A PSALM OF DAVID.

Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness! Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 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. (Psalm 143.Introduction, 1 – 3, ESV)

Many (most?) of David’s psalms are for deliverance from enemies. What does that tell us?

• That having adversaries and adversity is normal
• That David’s response to adversity was to write a psalm! Did he write more under duress than “in the sunshine”?

And he writes not just about the situation but about how he felt:

Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. (Psalm 143.4, ESV)

There’s a lesson for those of us who aren’t feelers. Who say, “Why worry? God will take care of you! Why are you so down in the dumps?” No. Godly people suffer emotionally.

But David knows a cure:

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah (Psalm 143.5, 6, ESV)

Meditating not just on the word but on God’s actions. “I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.”

The prayer continues. Prayer for deliverance, assurance of God’s love, and guidance.

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. 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. (Psalm 143.7, 8, ESV)

Repeated prayer for deliverance and guidance:

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! 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 level ground! (Psalm 143.9, 10, ESV)

He bases his prayer on the character of God:

• “I have fled to you for refuge” – verse 9
• “For your name’s sake, preserve my life” – verse 11