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A Thirsty Soul’s Plea

찬송 : 찬송가 195장 (새찬송가 261장)
2025-12-14 [시편(Psalm) 143:1 - 143:12]

1	[A Psalm of David.] Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2	Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3	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.
4	Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5	I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
6	I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7	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.
8	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.
9	Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge!
10	Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
11	For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12	And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.

Thinking & Understanding
As the psalmist faces injustice, he pleads for God’s mercy, relying on the Lord's righteousness. Aware that he can never meet God's standards, he has no choice but to appeal for grace. He lives as though he were a plant with only its roots remaining, continually attacked by his enemies. In the depths of despair, he remembers God and prays with all his strength, stretching out his hands to him (vv. 1-6). He earnestly asks God not to turn his face away, but to look upon him. He prays for God’s mercy once more, asking him to save him and to show him the way he should follow (vv. 7-12).

What lesson is God teaching me?
Vv. 1-2 The psalmist grounds his prayer on God's covenant. God's truth and righteousness are revealed through his covenant relationship with his people. As one of God’s people, the psalmist appeals to God's righteousness as he asks for mercy. Since no one can claim to be righteous before God, we too must humbly acknowledge our unworthiness. Yet, through our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, we can still pray with boldness in his mercy.

Vv. 8-10 The psalmist eagerly awaits the ‘morning.’ He longs for the end of the dark night of his troubles and the arrival of the morning, when he can hear the Lord’s words. Each breath we take in the morning and the Word of God available to us daily are precious blessings. May we never lose sight of how valuable these things are and cherish them fully today.

Prayer
Dear God, thank you for lighting my path with your Word every morning. Direct me daily in your truth.