Psalm 143

Prayer for Deliverance and Guidance.

A Psalm of David.

1Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!
And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no man living is righteous.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.
Therefore my spirit [a]is overwhelmed within me;
My heart is [b]appalled within me.

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You, as a [c]parched land. [d]Selah.

Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For I trust in You;
Teach me the way in which I should walk;
For to You I lift up my soul.
Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
[e]I take refuge in You.

10 Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level [f]ground.
11 For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me.
In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And in Your lovingkindness, [g]cut off my enemies
And destroy all those who afflict my soul,
For I am Your servant.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 143:4 Lit faints
  2. Psalm 143:4 Or desolate
  3. Psalm 143:6 Lit weary
  4. Psalm 143:6 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  5. Psalm 143:9 Lit To You have I hidden
  6. Psalm 143:10 Lit land
  7. Psalm 143:12 Or silence