Have you ever felt really down and depressed, feeling that you have nowhere to turn? Your friends aren’t there, can’t or won’t help, and you are beginning to feel that God has disappeared, and that He doesn’t hear your prayers anymore. Many of us have felt that way at one time or another, especially when problems come and seem to stay, and perhaps even some depression comes, too. Is there anyone out there who will hear our cries? Our psalm for today has the answer. Let’s take a look.
In the Bible we read a lot about the life of David, with all the struggles and even life-threatening situations he was in. We know that he became king, but even then, David’s troubles did not disappear. In reading through many of the psalms that David wrote, it is evident that there were times when he seemed to fight against depression. However, David never gave up or felt like he was ever in a hopeless situation.
As Psalm 143 opens, David knows who he can turn to when the problems arrive. There are hints in several places in Scripture indicating that his family was not always very supportive of him (Psalm 27:10; I Samuel 17:28). His father didn’t even want to include him when the prophet Samuel wanted the whole family gathered for a ceremony (I Samuel 16:11). During the years he was on the run from King Saul, and then after he became king, David learned very quickly that there were many people he could not trust. Who could he turn to for help and support in his troubles? Was there anyone he could go to, who would listen to him and show compassion? David knew that if everyone else turned aside, he could still count on the Lord. He could go to God in prayer (vs. 1). David knew that God is faithful and righteous, and because of that, he could make his prayer to Him.
Scripture teaches us that if we are living in a state of ongoing sin, if we are holding on to sin in our life and not confessing it, then our prayers will not be heard (Psalm 66:18). In order to keep the line of communication open between ourselves and God, we need to confess our sins, and receive His forgiveness. David knew that he could not depend on his own righteousness in order to be justified in God’s sight (vs. 2). He readily admitted his own unrighteousness. He knew that he was a sinner, and realized that if he was going to be delivered for righteousness sake, it would be because of God’s righteousness, not his own. That is the same for all of us today, as well. Man cannot justify himself, but God will freely justify the one who has believing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because of that, David knew that the Lord God is the only one he can always rely on. At this certain time, David had some unspecified problem, and he was turning to God for desperate help, holding his hands out in supplication (vs. 6). He knew that he needed God. In a drought, the dry earth, and the parched plants and trees, yearn for water. David felt his soul was just like a dry and thirsty land, wanting God with great intensity.
Whatever this unnamed problem and situation was, it was a desperate one, and most people would feel hopeless. Fear and depression were swirling around David, threatening to pull him in. However, David knew that God was there for him (vs. 7). We also may feel caught in deepening depression, and are unable to pull ourselves out of that pit. In those times we especially need to turn to God and remember all that He has done for us in the past (vs. 5).
We need to reach out to God in prayer as David did, coming to Him every morning (vs. 8), looking for His help throughout the day. When our enemies, literal or figurative, come against us, we can find shelter, hiding ourselves in our God (vs. 9).
In closing, we need to remember that every day we either surrender ourselves to our sin, which leads to death, or we obey God, which leads to righteousness (vs. 10-11). God is to be our Master, and we should submit ourselves to Him. David wanted to do what would bring honor to God’s Name, and he knew that when the Lord delivers him from a terrible situation, that will bring praise and glory to His mighty Name.
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