Psalm Chapter 143

Psalm 143: The Soul That Thirsts Like Dry Ground

There is a moment in this psalm where theology gives way to pure physical longing: "I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land." Not as a thirsty man — that would be desperate enough — but as a thirsty land. An entire landscape, cracked and open, waiting for rain. David has been pressed to the ground by enemies, made to dwell in darkness like the long dead, and his spirit is overwhelmed. But what he wants is not merely rescue. He wants God's face. "Hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit." The fear is not death but distance. And then the prayer turns practical, almost childlike: cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning. Teach me to do thy will. Lead me into the land of uprightness. It is the prayer of someone who has stopped pretending to know the way and is ready, at last, to be led.

00:00 A Plea from the Darkness
01:00 Thirsting for the Morning