Psalm 143: When the Enemy Attacks

143 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.

I am so thankful for David. A man who felt deeply and poured out his soul to the LORD. I'll admit there are times I read his psalms and can't quite identify with the depth of his emotions but other times the words hit home and encourage me that in His inspired Word God graciously provides a language to both praise and lament.

I was reading a passage in Exodus that pointed me to this Psalm this morning and instantly connected with the words. What a great resource for times we are feeling discouraged, joyless and under attack by the evil one.

In verses 3-4, we see the enemy pursuing our soul, crushing our life to the ground, and making us sit in darkness. These are heavy words. As a result, our spirit faints and fails. 

In response, the psalmist does two main things. First, he cries out to the Lord for help and direction. He appeals to God based on his faithfulness and righteousness (1), the sake of his name (11), and his steadfast love (12). Even though his spirit is weighed down, he stretches out his hands (6) and lifts up his soul (8) to the one in whom he trusts. Not only does he ask the LORD to deliver him, he asks him to show Himself to him ("hide not your face from me") and reveal his steadfast love to him (7-8). As in the darkness our path is so often dimly lit and difficult to navigate, the psalmist also asks for direction- "make me know the way I should go" and "let your good Spirit lead me on level ground" (8, 10). He flees to God for refuge, humbly trusting him as His servant and learning to do His will (2,12,10).

The other thing the psalmist does is redirect his thoughts. He remembers, meditates on, and ponders all that God has done and the work of His hands (5). Sometimes disciplining our mind is easier said than done but it is a necessary work when we are under attack.

Ultimately, David knows (and we know) that God will conquer our enemy and "destroy the adversary of [our] soul." How do we know this? Because of Christ's finished work on the cross. He stretched out his hands and thirsted so that we could know God's nearness and live with him in glory eternally. No matter what we face in this life, we have a living hope in our Righteous and Faithful God.