Psalms 143:1

I Stretch Out My Hands to You

1

A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, hear my prayer. In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea; in Your righteousness, answer me.

Psalms 143:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 143:1

Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications
With these requests David begins the psalm; for it was to no purpose to pray and were heard; and for which he always appears to be concerned, as every good man will, and not to be heard only, but to be answered, as follows;

in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness;
he does not plead his own faith, with which he believed in God, as rama interprets it; though the prayer of faith is very effectual; but the faithfulness of God to his promises; he had promised to hear, answer, and deliver such as called on him in a time of trouble; and he is faithful that has promised, nor will he suffer his faithfulness to fail; he cannot deny himself; and on this the psalmist relied for an answer, as well as desired and expected it; not on account of his own righteousness, but either on account of the goodness and grace of God, sometimes designed by righteousness, or because of the righteousness of Christ, or for the sake of Christ, the Lord our righteousness; on whose account God is just and faithful to forgive sin, the blessing the psalmist wanted, as appears from ( Psalms 143:2 ) .

Psalms 143:1 In-Context

1 O LORD, hear my prayer. In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea; in Your righteousness, answer me.

2 Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.

3 For the enemy has pursued my soul, crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like those long since dead.

4 My spirit grows faint within me; my heart is dismayed inside me.

5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands.