Looking for God’s loving-kindness!
I really had not planned on writing a blog post today, but I read through Psalm 143 and was so encouraged by it, that I wanted to share it with you. Reading through this was such a blessing with where we are with all the uneasiness and really the inner fears, we all have surrounding the Covid-19. I know personally that I must focus on God and His loving-kindness and all that He can do, or I will remain overwhelmed.
Okay, in Psalm 143:1-3 David is talking to God about his enemies. I am sure you know the story of David, how he was pursued by King Saul and his men. Many of our Psalms by David are written about that scary and troubling time in his life, but David was also pursued by his own son, Absalom. Most scholars say this psalm was written concerning the time that Absalom was trying to kill David in 2 Samuel 15. If you have not read Absalom’s story, it is in 2 Samuel 13-19.
I am sure there were times in David’s life that he wished he were young again, playing the harp, guarding sheep, and killing bears.
In Psalm 143:4 we see the crux of the whole matter of where David is at during this point in his life. David is feeling desolate. He is feeling alone. He is feeling overwhelmed. Sound familiar?
“Therefore, is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.” Psalm 143:4 (KJV)
Look what David does and thinks about while he is at this low state.
David remembers what God has done in the past. Psalm 143:5
David thinks deeply and focuses on those things God did. Psalm 143:5
David mulls over all those things God can do. Psalm 143:5
David reaches out to God. Psalm 143:6
David thirsts for God because he is in a dry state. Psalm 143:6
David prays to God. He wants help in a hurry. Psalm 143:7
David reminds God how bad off he is. Psalm 143:7
David asks God not to hide His face from him or he will die. Psalm 143:7
David looks for God’s loving-kindness in the morning. Psalm 143:8
David reminds God that he is trusting in Him. Psalm 143:8
David asks God for direction. Psalm 143:8
David lifts his soul up to God. Psalm 143:8
David asks for deliverance. Psalm 143:9
David wants God to hide him. Psalm 143:9
David asks God to teach Him His will. Psalm 143:10
David reminds God that is His God. He is the one David worships. Psalm 143:10
David reminds God how good God is. Psalm 143:10
David asks God to guide him in uprightness or on level ground. Psalm 143:10
David asks God to “quicken” him or make him alive. Psalm 143:11
David asks God to bring his soul out of his trouble. Psalm 143:11
David asks God to cut off and destroy his enemies. Psalm 143:12
David reminds God that he is God’s servant. Psalm 143:12
If you look through this and see all those things that David tells God, we know that God already knew about them. David told God about them anyway. What a great reminder that God wants to hear about our troubles.
Then you see all the things David reminds himself of about God. He thinks about what God has done in the past. He mulls over all the wonderful things God can do.
Next, we see David asking God for specific things to get him out of his predicament. He asks for guidance. He asks God to lead him. David was out there with men in pursuit. He needed a place to hide. He even asks God to destroy his enemies. And I love how in Psalm 143:7, that David says “speedily”. He wants help right away. David was specific here all through this whole psalm. This reminds me that I need to be specific in my prayer life too.
In the end, David reminds God that he is His servant. David was going to serve God. David was going to worship God. David trusted in His God even at his low points in life. Even when he was overwhelmed.
I am very encouraged to overcome the overwhelming by reading through this psalm. I hope you are too!
Sources
The Life of David - Clarence Sexton
David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition - Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman
https://www.juliabettencourt.com/blog/
The Historical David: The Real Life of an Invented Hero - Joel S. Baden
David's Secret Demons - Baruch Halpern
The Life of King David - J. S. Park
King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel - Jonathan Kirsch
