Psalm 143
Although I might have referred to today’s Psalm as another lament, my Study Bible notes that this Psalm is the last of seven penitential psalms in the early Christian liturgy, along with Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130. So we’ll go with that.
Hear my prayer, O LORD … In Your faithfulness answer me… Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before You. (vv. 1-2) Clearly, as we read these verses, we call to mind Paul’s admonishment that “There is none righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10, NASB 1995) But what struck me was David’s two-fold plea, (1) that the Lord hear his prayer and (2) that he not be judged. That is, David is lifting his prayer to God in spite of what he knows are his own shortcomings. He doesn’t want God to ignore his prayer because of those shortcomings. David’s prayer for help is joined with his own general confession, his acknowledgement of his inability to stand before a just God.
Do we do that? No doubt, we are regularly seeking God’s intervention in our lives and for those we love. But do we begin those prayers with the knowledge that we are not worthy (except through Jesus) to even approach this most holy God? That has certainly not been my life pattern in the past. Maybe it’s time to begin anew?