“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.” Psalm 143:8 NKJV
As we enter the new year, I remembered how much truth there was in this verse! We are called to live by faith, faith grounded on the reality of Who God is and what He has promised. That means there are times that we walk in places we do not know or understand. Look at the first words of this verse, “Cause me to hear…” Far too often we are distracted by the voices screaming all around us. This Psalm was written in the middle of Ling Saul’s pursuit of David. Unjustly accused of attempting to overthrow the House of Saul, the king relentlessly chased David attempting to kill him. It was during that turbulent time that David had real feelings of overwhelming fear. Verse four of this Psalm speaks it out clearly.
“Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed and weak within me [wrapped in darkness]; My heart grows numb within me.” Psalm 142:4 AMP
Do you see it? The situation led David to a place where he was doubting a clear path out! Look at the words that he uses, “overwhelmed spirit,” “weak,” and numb.” Have you ever been in that place before? David described it as a place “wrapped in darkness.” The next verse gives us the pathway to hope.
“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that You have done; I ponder the work of Your hands. 6 I reach out my hands to You; My throat thirsts for You, as a parched land [thirsts for water].” Psalm 142:5-6 AMP
As we recall the goodness of God, and His patience and grace of our lives hope comes alive once again! The question is, “How desperate are you for God?” David described his desperation as “suffering from thirst in a desert land.” I have lived in the desert and know the importance of having water and the danger of not! It is truly a matter of life and death. We all go through times of weariness as we navigate this fallen world. There may be times when we feel abandoned but, remembering His faithfulness helps us find confidence in our time of need! Notice David’s prayer to God… “cause me to hear…” When we are passing through the desert and things are dry and weary it is hard to remember the faithfulness of God! The word “cause” here is the Hebrew word meaning “to hear and receive; to make know the truth; to believe and respond to the information being heard.” We in and of ourselves are generally doubtful and circumstantial-based in our walk with God. David knows this and cries out to God to help him hear and process the truth of God’s promises!
As we enter the New Year we should always remember the that because of the sacrifice of our Savior we can boldly to the throne room of grace in our time of need. The writer of Hebrews put it this way.
“Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. Hebrews 4:16 AMP
May the God of all promise strengthen and encourage you to press on to the high calling of Christ in your life this year! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken