BECAUSE
Psalms 143:8-12 NKJV
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.
10 Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.
11 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name's sake!
For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.
I love how David expresses his heart. There is nothing stiff or overly formal about how David addresses the Lord. David is not disrespectful by any means, but in his words, we hear a man who has a genuine relationship with the Lord. And we can't forget that God called David a man after His own heart.
"Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, For in You do I trust." Four times in our verses for today, the phrase 'For I' is found. And it is implied another time. 'For I' could also be written because I. And here is where David's relationship with the Lord seems to be on another level.
David is making his plea before God and asking God for His involvement because of where David is. So David wants to hear God's unfailing love because he trusts in God. David is not arrogantly arguing with the Lord, but rather, he is presenting his case before the judge of all the earth. David asks the Lord to cause him to know the way he is to walk because David is lifting up his soul to the Lord.
David asks God to deliver him from his enemies. The verse says, "in You I take shelter," but the implication is still the same. Deliver me, Lord, because I take shelter in You. Then David asks for the Lord to teach him to do the will of God because David declares that God is his God. And David continues to pour his heart out to God, asking God to revive him and to bring his soul out of trouble. David makes this request because of God's namesake and God's righteousness. Now David is declaring that his deliverance reflects on God's name and goodness.
David's last request is that God, in His mercy, would cut off David's enemies and destroy those who are afflicting his soul because David is God's servant. David does a great job of pleading his case. But what about us?
APPLICATION
The scriptures tell us we have become children of God, that we can come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need (Hebrews 4:16). What David did is a great example of coming boldly and asking. Remember, David was a servant of God, but we are God's own children. Ephesians 3:12 says we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. So, how will this boldness and confidence look in our lives? Have we been bold to ask, to state our case and express our heart to our Heavenly Father in prayer? David had great faith in the goodness of God. And he approached God with a confidence that he would be heard and helped. And maybe that's a great place for us to start with this prayer…
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, please show me how I can come boldly to You and ask. Help me gain a confidence in You that asks big and expects answers because I am Your child, and I know You love me.