If there is one book of the Bible that I feel is too often underrated, it’s the book of Psalms. That’s right. While it’s true that many people will have a favourite Psalm or a verse from the Psalms I don’t think any one of us truly appreciates what it is. In the Psalms, we find a wide range of human feeling and desires, some of which is quite far from the hallmark-esque sentimentality that one might expect from it. So I thought it would be a good idea to get to know the book better, and to help me do so, I thought I would post my reflections here. These thoughts generally won’t be anything very fleshed out, but I hope you find my musings here edifying.

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Psalm 143
Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
    answer me in your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgement with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous before you.

For the enemy has pursued me,
    crushing my life to the ground,
    making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
Therefore my spirit faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

I remember the days of old,
    I think about all your deeds,
    I meditate on the works of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.     Selah

Answer me quickly, O Lord;
    my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
    or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
    for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
    I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
    on a level path.

For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
    In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
    and destroy all my adversaries,
    for I am your servant.

While at first the psalmist is both humble and penitent before God, I’m not sure that penitence is the key emotion here. What sticks out to me is when he says: “I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah“. Selah is a word that occurs 71 times in 39 of the psalms, and basically means “stop and listen”. This might mean “stop and listen to the musical interlude,” or perhaps it is meant to offer a moment to reflect in preparation for the next paragraph. What might we have to reflect on in these verses?

The Psalmist is contemplating the work of God in his life despite his own sinfulness. You might note that he makes this remark in between two verses stating that he is pursued by “the enemy” and that his “spirit fails”. In a way, this seems odd, since he seems acutely aware of how God has worked in his life, and has a deep desire to be led by the “good spirit” of God on a “level path”, however for whatever reason he feels unable to do so himself. Instead, he feels he must ask God for this grace, perhaps because he feels trapped.

I think, therefore, this is the true theme of psalm 143: this feeling of being trapped, and longing for God. From my own experience, I know that religious conversion isn’t a magical transformation that just happens. Even among the devout, there aren’t many of us who don’t struggle with it. To have this desire thwarted is perchance quite a common feeling for many of us. How the Psalmist strengthens his faith despite his shortcomings is by meditating on the way that God has acted in his life, and asking him to continue to do so. That is, ultimately, what the rest of the psalm is about. One’s relationship with God must be a continual invitation.