“Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.”—Psalm 143:1–2 (NIV)

When it comes to Psalm 143, there’s some things we know and some things we don’t know. For instance, we know that it was written firsthand by David. We also know, just by reading the text, that it was written in a time of deep distress. But what we don’t know is the exact context. 

Unlike many of his other psalms, scholars are uncertain which episode of David’s life inspired this psalm. Was it when he was being hunted by Saul, when he was forced to flee from Absalom, or was it some other event? We really don’t know. But again, we know David was inspired to compose this as he was under duress and being attacked. 

Why is this important for us? Because all of us, at some point or another, will find ourselves in a similar spot as David. Whether the attack comes by way of our body, soul, or spirit a conflict is coming (maybe you’re there right now)! And when this happens, we can learn from David as far as what we must do.

For starters, look what David does right from the start of this psalm: He goes to God and declares his desperate dependence on Him. David needed help . . . God’s help! And he wasn’t afraid to admit it. He leans into the relationship he has with the Lord, resting the weight of his soul on His mercy, faithfulness, and righteousness. The psalm, which is really a prayer, starts with David’s need and God’s nature. 

When we’re really going through it and are filled with confusion, the best thing we can do is say, “I don’t have all the answers I need, but I do know I need God’s help and I know what He’s like!” That is where we need to start, with relational reliance on the Lord.

In the next few verses David elaborates on the activities of his enemy: “The enemy pursues me . . . he crushes me . . . he makes me dwell in the darkness.” (Psalm 143:3–4 NIV). This is good, because it’s healthy to express and unburden our cares to the Lord. 

Yet David doesn’t stay there focusing on the enemy. What he does next is so important; he takes control of his thoughts and engages his mind to focus on who the Lord has been and is: “I remember . . . I meditate . . . I thirst.” (Psalm 143:5–6 NIV). A lot of life is beyond our control, especially when we’re being attacked. But we can control is what we focus our thoughts on. And have you noticed that our hearts often follows the direction of our minds? 

When we choose to think godly thoughts, our hearts are led in a godly direction, which is where David goes next by leaning even more into his relational understanding of his God through a series of “confident asks”: “Answer me . . . cause me . . . deliver me . . . teach me . . . lead me” (Psalm 13:7–10 NKJV). David wasn’t shy to ask of God! He shouldn’t have been, and nor should we, because in Christ we have a heavenly Father who is more willing to give than we are to ask.

All that we could ever need, in deep distress or at any other time in our lives, can be found in one place (the same place David goes to in this psalm): in the living relationship with the true and eternal God. It is our all and all because He is our all in all…rely on it, rely on Him. 

Pause: In what way is Psalm 143 relatable and relevant to our lives?

Practice: Write out what you learned from David’s example in this psalm and how you can practically integrate these things.

Pray: Father in heaven, forgive us for not relying on You as fully as we should. Forgive us for engaging our enemies in our own strength and without taking refuge in You. May our hearts respond to these times, and all other times You ordain for us, as David did. Continue to lead us to a place of deeper dependence and relational reliance on You. Amen.