The Introit for this coming Sunday is taken from Psalm 143:1–2; Antiphon, Psalm 143:9—
Psalm 143 is the last of the seven penitential psalms.
It is, like many of David’s other psalms, a plea to the Lord to rescue him from
his enemies.
David does not appeal to his own goodness or
righteousness, however, but explicitly confesses that no one living is
righteous before the Lord. Therefore, he must beg the mercy of the Lord: In
your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
We get the sense that David is in desperate times.
Without the Lord’s defense he has nothing. Thus he can say, “I flee unto thee
to hide me.” David can literally declare, “I have hid my affairs, and troubles,
my difficulties and all my necessities. I have revealed them unto You, who
alone can save.”
This is how we, too, must approach the Lord when we
ask Him to rescue us from earthly and spiritual enemies—acknowledging, as we do
in the catechism, that we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but
punishment, and acknowledging that He delivers
us purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit
or worthiness in me.
The hymn
writer reminds us
Other refuge
have I none;
hangs my
helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah!
leave me not alone,
still support
and comfort me.
All my trust
on thee is stayed,
all my help
from thee I bring;
cover my
defenseless head
with the
shadow of thy wing [1]
Prayer for Psalm 143 – Lord Jesus,
you bring the first light of dawn to those who dwell in darkness and make your
love known to them. Enter not into judgment against your servants, but let your
Spirit guide us into the land of justice, where with the Father and the Holy
Spirit you live and reign, now and forever. Amen [2]
Photo Image courtesy of Lydia Cseh Dahling
[1] Jesus
Lover of my soul, The Lutheran Hymnal © 1942 Concordia Publishing House, St.
Louis
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