EXPERIENCING GOD’S LEADING

Psalm 143:1-12 / Keywords 143:10

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

 

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.

2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,

    for no one living is righteous before you.

3 The enemy pursues me,

    he crushes me to the ground;

he makes me dwell in the darkness

    like those long dead.

4 So my spirit grows faint within me;

    my heart within me is dismayed.

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.[a]

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.

Footnotes

a. Psalm 143:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

1. This Psalm is another model of how to pray for help when we are at our human limit. The author knows he himself is not perfectly righteous, so he bases his prayer on God’s mercy (2). He confesses how weak and crushed he feels (3-4). But he also strengthens his faith by remembering how God has helped him in the past (5).

 

2. We can strengthen ourselves for difficult times by seeking the word of God’s unfailing love every morning (8), until it comes into our hearts. We also submit our lives to God’s guidance and commit ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples, learning his will. Then we can experience God’s leading on the pathway of life, and will experience true security, like we are walking on level ground (10). We gain assurance from our identity as God’s servant (12).

 

Prayer Father, thank you for your leading on my life. I want to seek your word every morning and learn to do your will as Jesus’ disciple.

One Word Lead me on level ground