Welcome to our class. We're on the next to the last lesson in Psalms. It's been a lengthy study but also I think needful and hopefully it's been a blessing to you as it has been to me. Our series title Oh, our next series is on Galatians next quarter. I want to mention that. We'll have the books next week for everyone. So we've been studying this second half of Psalms. It's entitled Psalms of Boundless Praise because of Deliverance. And this is Lesson 12, Hope for the Persecuted Soul, Psalms, the text, Psalms 139, 144, and our focus on Psalm 143. A key verse is the first verse of this chapter. Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications, in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. application for today's lesson, the student will recognize there is hope in the Lord during times of struggle. I'll say a few things, a few words by means of introduction to this section of Psalms, which was 139 to 144. These are all written by David. We can't say that about every one of these sections that we've looked at. Some were a combination of authors, some unknown authors. But these are all worship psalms drawn to, or drawing attention to, some character trait of God, and we might call them hymns. If you look in our songbook, different sections at the top tell you what that group of hymns are, what the topic is. Some are invitations, some are songs of praise and worship, and just a whole, there's probably 30 different topics. So you can look through that, and that's how, that's a great aid to our pianist and songwriter to pick out songs. If they want one for a certain application, they go to that section, and usually that's where the majority of them are. Some of these psalms are written expressing God's love, or David's love for God. Some are written expressing his desire for God's help, which today's last one, Psalm 143 is. Some are written to tell us who God is, different things about God, character traits. All these scenes were important for the people to consider, so David tried to incorporate them in the worship at the house of God. And then seeking our context for this lesson, Psalm 143 is one of seven, it's the last of seven psalms that are called penitent psalms. The key feature of a penitent psalm is it expresses the psalmist's sorrow over sin, and over spiritual failure. In each one, the author confesses his sin before God and recognizes the need for God's favor and forgiveness. Psalm 143 is called a penitent psalm because of verse two and other verses that show David's plea to God for mercy. It seems like David's troubles caused him to consider his own sin as the cause of his troubles. But as we go on, the majority of the psalm is a plea, a plea to God. David's been overwhelmed by the harassment he's getting from his enemies. And he cries out to God for God's loving kindness, just means God's unfailing love, His steadfast love. And he cries out for justice to be done and for God to be faithful to His Word and to His promises. He remembered how God had delivered him so many other times and begs him here in this psalm to do it again. The psalm serves to give voice to us, to our pleas, during troubled times, just like it did to David. The question posed here is, what troubles are you facing right now which Psalm 143 can help you express to God? Now, we haven't gotten into Psalm 143, so you may not know how that will happen, but what are the troubles that you have right now? And then you can think about that as we go through the different parts of Psalm 143. So, searching the text. Hear My Prayer is verses 1 through 3, entitled, that portion of the outline is entitled Hear My Prayer. The second point is My Spirit is Overwhelmed, verses 4 through 8. And then David says, Deliver Me, verses 9 through 12. So first, Hear My Prayer. Again, it says it's a Psalm of David, written by David. and verse one says, or verse one, I'm gonna divide this verse in half here. First part, he says, hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications. So he says, Lord, please listen to my prayer. And then he really says the same thing again in a different way, just doubles down on what he just said. He says, give ear to my supplications, or listen, to my requests that I'm about to make. And he asked the Lord, his intention is that the Lord will not only hear his prayers, but the Lord will do something about his troubles. And David knew that the Lord does hear our prayers because he wrote that in Psalms. 3 and verse 4, he said, I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. And the best thing we can do, Dave does what the best thing is we can do, he takes those troubles to the Lord in prayer. The second part of this verse says, in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. The form that would be more familiar or seem to us to read the best would be, answer me, answer me in thy faithfulness and in thy righteousness. The idea was that God had promised to hear the petition of a person who is truly repenting of their sins before him. And so, since he promised, that's a promise from God to hear our prayers. His faithfulness, which is the other trait of God here that's mentioned, his faithfulness then would demand that he listen to David's prayer. He made that promise, his faithfulness would say he would have to keep that promise. And that's what David was counting on. His righteousness would require him, that's the other trait, his righteousness would require him to do the right thing, which means justice or doing the just or the fair thing. David was also honest about his own sinfulness. He understood he was born a sinner and he struggled with sin every day just as we do. Verse 2 addresses that. He says, And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. It's a little awkward structure. The ESV says, enter not into judgment with your servant, meaning David, for no one living is righteous before you. No one that comes before God is righteous, is perfect before God. And that's God's standard to get into heaven. And David is saying, and that applies to me also, So David admits his unrighteousness. He realizes he's going to be delivered or spared for righteousness sake. It's got to be because of God's righteousness and not his own. And we can do the same thing. We need to do or have to do the same thing. We can ask the Lord for justice in our case, but it has to be based on His righteousness and not our own. In fact, we do this every time we ask God to forgive our sins. Spurgeon in his commentary on Psalms called the Treasury of David, he said this about this verse. He says, David entreated David, I'll read the whole thing. David, entreated for audience at the mercy seat, but he has no wish to appear before the judgment seat. So David pleaded for an audience with God to come before God, but he did it coming, asking for mercy. He'd come at the mercy seat, is the way Spurgeon puts it, rather than at the judgment seat. He doesn't want to be judged because he knows he's guilty. So if we had to summarize these first two verses with just a short statement It would be hear me, but do not put me on trial, because I know that I'm guilty, is what he meant. So we go on to verse 3. David explains his troubles here. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul. He hath smitten my life down to the ground. He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead. So David's explanation sounds much like his struggle with King Saul. that extended period of time when Saul was trying to hunt David down and put him to death. He says in this description is what King Saul was doing. He persecuted David's soul. He has smitten my life down to the ground. Saul was after David and his purpose was to try to take David's life. He went on to say, he had made me to dwell in darkness. David hid in caves from Saul. And he says, as those that have been long dead. David had been chased away from Israel for so long a time period that some had considered him dead. So King Saul's search for David, an attempt to take his life, was relentless. He didn't give up. Every time he heard a rumor or something of where David might be, Saul with his men was there. If God would allow, we have a relentless enemy also, and that's Satan. If God would allow him, Satan would kill all Christians just to so that they would not be able to influence other people to come to Christ. So, the Bible says this world is, 1 Peter 5a says this world is ruled by our enemy, Satan, and he walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But we have the promise from God that we can resist the devil and he'll flee from us, James 4, 7. Second point is, my spirit is overwhelmed. Verses 4 through 8. Verse 4 says, therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me, my heart within me is desolate. David was completely overwhelmed by this whole situation. He was discouraged, he was depressed, he was at the end of his strength. But even though he was at the end of his strength, it didn't mean he gave up. So if we had to sum verses 3 and 4, it would be, I faint because the enemy pursues me. So what did David do in desperate times like these? Verse 5 says, I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works. I muse on the work of my hands. So David did three things. First, he remembered his past days, which were also filled with troubles. And what he remembered was that The Lord was with him during those times and the Lord delivered him from those past troubles. Next it says he meditated. We talk a lot about that in our church, about meditating on the scriptures, not just reading them like we would in our devotions where We don't have hours, but usually have 30 minutes or whatever that you spend in devotions. That's more of a casual reading. You're not reading for in-depth understanding of the scriptures, but more to keep familiar with the scriptures as a whole. So you have some kind of a reading plan. But meditating is to think on and understand more deeply It's a focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply. Musing, though, is a little different. It's to think about carefully and for a long time. Dictionary, a synonym the dictionary shows is ponder, to sit and just think about. Even some use the word daydreaming. But it's thinking of big ideas. What might this topic, what could it lead to? In the case of church work or pastor, it might be thinking of long term. What ministry, what new outreach might this, what I'm reading in scripture, lead to? So we're a little bit different. The idea was David rehearsed these memories over and over. He thought about the past and how the Lord had been faithful to him. And that's an important lesson for us. Some people keep a prayer journal where they jot down the problems and troubles they've had and that they have at the moment and then how God, they record also how God answers those prayers and how he solves those problems or leads them to a solution for their problem. What's the benefit of that? Well, as we look back at the past and see how God has worked there in our lives, answered our prayers, showed us solutions to our problems, that gives us confidence that He can do it in the future. I'm going to verse 6. It says, I stretch forth my hands unto thee. I lift up my hands to God. My soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty lamb. Salah. So as God considered all these great blessings he'd received in the past, he understood what he needed to do. He phrases it here, I stretch forth my hands, meaning I reach out to God. That's where the answer is. And I reach out to Him like a desert thirst for water. If you've seen deserts are notoriously a lot of sand. As you dump water onto sand, what happens? It's there and then it's gone. Because the ground is so dry, and the sand's so porous that it doesn't, it's there and then it's gone. But without rain, the desert grows even thirstier. Without the Lord, David realized that his problems are only going to get worse. So if we were gonna summarize these last two verses, five and six, it would be, David reaching out. I reach out in trust. He reached out to God because he trusted him that he would give the solution to his troubles. The word Salah, here we see that some 74 times, I think it is, in the Psalms. And it's like a break. No one seems to know what the meaning is, the exact meaning of the word. But a couple of theories are that it's a musical term that indicates a pause in the music where the musicians continue to play, but the congregation stops singing. or that it's instructions to pause and reflect about what you've just read, which kind of makes it a break in the psalm, and many times a change of subject. And that I think is what we find here. Because David's consideration of all that God had done, and because David understood his failure and God's faithfulness, He shifts the focus here, the focus of his prayer. Earlier he had expressed a need, a plea for mercy, a need for his forgiveness. Now he wanted his life to change so that he could be a proper servant of God. And that's what we hear. these next few verses. Verse 7 says, Hear me speedily, O Lord, my spirit failing. Hide not thy face from me, lest I be likened to them that go down into the pit. So once again, David requests that God listen to him attentively to his prayer. David was concerned that if the Lord didn't hear him quickly and do something to fix his situation, that he was doomed to despair or even death. So he says, hide not thy face from me. David wanted to be in the presence of God, not with God turning away from him. And nothing would fix David's troubles but the Lord God. And the same is true for us. And so David, in these next few verses, David asks God to do four things for him. Number one is, cause me to hear. Look at verse 8. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning. or loving kindness again is God's unfailing love, his steadfast love that never leaves us. Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning, for in thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee. He'd already acknowledged his failures in life and he's asking God to speak to him forcefully to him so he would hear what the Lord said. He wanted God to hear him, to hear his prayer, but he needed to listen carefully to the Lord himself. And that was his desire. That's what he wanted. He says, For I lift up my soul unto thee. This is like saying we will put our lives in God's hands. Obviously, there's no better place to put our lives. I'm gonna read, printed out some of these verses, but they're still sitting on my printer, so I'm gonna have to turn to them. Psalm 31, verse 14 and 15 addresses this. This is David speaking again. He said, but I trusted in thee, O Lord, I said, thou art my God. Verse 15, my times are in thy hands. Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. When our son graduated Cedarville, I think that was the theme for the graduating seniors. My times are in thy hands. So, sometimes though, We don't realize just how much we're in God's hands. We don't realize our own vulnerabilities, how death can come upon us in a hurry. Just driving to work every morning, Sometimes someone said you're playing with death. I used to drive a bike 275 in the morning during rush hour and I'd have somebody pass me on the left just going much faster than I was. And he would get up a little further and try to be backed up in the high speed lane so he could get over in the middle. And I could see up ahead. And I could see him then get over in the left hand lane to pass the next, or the right hand lane to pass the next guy. And that's the way it was for ten miles. But several times I'd go to the GE parking lot and the guy was right ahead, right in front of me. And I'd think, you did all that and brought danger to every other motorist on the road and you still didn't make it to work anywhere. So anyway, but just on our highways, that's just one example of someone just doesn't see someone in their mirror, and they go to change lanes, and there's a collision, and then there's more damage to other cars, and maybe a loss of life. So our lives are in God's hands. So David was down, down in spirit, but he hadn't quit. Look at his last, or the first phrase of verse 8, cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning. David wanted to hear that every morning from the Lord. So verses 7 and 8 we might summarize, answer me quickly. Second thing, the next section is, my spirit is overwhelmed. Or deliver me, I'm sorry. Verse nine, the second thing that David wants God to do for him is to deliver me. Verse nine says, deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies. I flee unto thee to hide me. So David fell under attack by his enemies and he continued to plead with the Lord to deliver him from them. Although David hid in caves, as we said before, his real hiding place was in the Lord. Notice he says here, I flee unto thee, unto God, to hide me. So God was his place of refuge. God was the one he would run to. The third thing he asked God to do is to teach him. Teach me, he says. Verse 10, teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy spirit is good. Lead me into the land of uprightness. So even in the midst of his troubles, David seeks the Lord's guidance on what to do. David needed to learn how to follow the plans of God, this verse tells us. He knew the leadership of the Holy Spirit was good, would lead him in the right way. He just needed to trust the Lord to take him along that right path, the one that led into the land of uprightness, this verse says. Many have fallen into the trap of Satan, allowing their troubles to cause them to stray from God. Troubles can either draw us closer to God, or push us away. 2 Corinthians 12, 7-9. Well, let me lead into this. We'll look at one case where a person was drawn closer to God, and another one where his troubles pushed him away from God. First is Paul and his thorn in the flesh, which drew him closer to God. Here's the account of that. 2 Corinthians 12, 7-9 says, And lest I should be exalted above measure, Paul speaking, unless I should get too puffed up through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice. He asked the Lord to take this storm and flush it away three times, that it might depart from me, he says. And the Lord said to me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. So this thorn in the flesh, God says, my strength is sufficient, Paul. And Paul accepted that and went on and lived with this thorn in the flesh. We don't know what it was, but he lived with it. And it drew him closer to the Lord because he drew strength from the Lord. The second example was John Mark, who went on the first missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas, and when they got into an area which was very dangerous, John Mark turned back and went home. And so, trouble pushed him away from God. Later, he came back. He had a change of heart, and Paul said, when he was in prison, bring John Mark to me, for he's valuable to me. So verses 9 and 10 we might summarize as deliver me and teach me to do your will. Verse 11, the fourth thing that David wanted God to do for him was quicken him. Or usually we think of quicken as to make a lie, but also it could mean to revive someone or to give that person renewed zeal to serve God. Verse 11 says, Quicken me, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, for Thy righteousness' sake, bring my soul out of trouble. So David was low, and he asked God to lift him up, to give him strength to do his work, to do God's work. Sadly, some church members quit church, and quit serving the Lord because of problems. It might be financial, it might be health, it might be a lot of different things, but The Lord tells us that He uses troubles to strengthen our faith, but we have to respond correctly. James 1, 2-4 says this, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing, that you might be perfect or mature, in the faith. So the Lord tells us he uses troubles to strengthen our faith, but we have to respond correctly to that. Verse 12, this verse is a It's kind of unrelated to the other 11 verses, but we know it's supposed to be here because God impressed, Holy Spirit impressed the writer and put it here. But it's a difficult question, how to pray for our enemies. Verse 12 says, and have thy mercy cut off mine enemies, this is David speaking to God, and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am thy servant. So even though he's saying something very strong of what he'd like to happen to his enemies because of what they're, because of their persecuting him, he also says, for I am thy servant. To me, that's kind of like saying, nevertheless, your will be done, God. So, David had prayed that his enemies would be cut off and destroyed, yet, In Matthew 5, verse 44, Jesus said, love your enemies, and do good to them that persecute you. For Christ's sake. So how should we pray? That's kind of a contradiction, sounds like it. But how should we pray for those who cause us trouble? Because of this last phrase, for I am thy servant, It says to me, David had no intention of taking matters into his own hands. He said this because he thought that's what they deserved, but still, he stayed in his role as a servant. And we see later on, or even during this time, how he treated King Saul. Even in battle, David sought the Lord's will before he lifted his sword against Saul. So how should you pray for your enemies? Well, pray that God will open their eyes to see what they're doing is a sin and pray for their salvation. and pray that someone will share the gospel with them, and maybe that person would be us, the person who has the troubles, or happens to be in the trouble, time of trouble. Secondly, pray the Lord will relieve us from the troubles they cause us. So pray that God will take care of our enemies, whatever that, however God defines that. In other words, do it according to His will. So what's our application? Well, rejoice over our troubles because they produce godly character, the scripture says. Know that the Lord is working them out. working in us for our good, and then respond appropriately to our problems. Don't let them push us away from God, but let them draw us nearer to God. And I'll leave you with a question. Can you describe a time in your life when troubles brought you closer to God? We may all have had that experience at one time or another. When we're in the middle of them, they're not fun. But a lot of times when you look back, you can see what God's purpose was and how it strengthens you and helps you, in some cases, to help someone else later on. So with that, we'll close. Lord, we come to you. We thank you for this. chapter, the psalm that we've studied today, and we thank you that in our time of trouble, we have you to go to as a refuge, to go to, to pray to, and to ask you to to take the problem away or deal with it in a manner that you would, that's in accordance with your will. And we just pray that you'll help us, give us strength, help us to grow through our troubles, to grow through what we learn there, and then to use that experience to be a blessing to other people. I pray for those who are in bereavement, for the people who were mentioned. I pray that you comfort and strengthen them. And I pray that you'll bless our church. I pray for the morning message. And I pray that we might have an open heart to receive it. In Christ's name, amen.