I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah Answer me speedily, O LORD; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalm 143: 5-8, NKJV.
Heavenly Father and Creator, as we enter Your presence we ask that the “peace that passes all understanding” will be in our hearts to comfort us. In the holy name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Today we come to the end of this portion of Psalm 143. I am amazed at how much the Lord had to say in these four verses! Today we conclude our devotions of the week with the last phrase, “cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.”
Up to this point the psalmist has “meditated” and “mused” on all of the works of God. He has “spread out his hands to the LORD.” He has asked God for a “[speedy answer]” to his dilemma – lest he go down to the pit (grave). He yearns to see the face of God and longs to hear “a Word from the LORD.” Now his desire is to know what direction his life should take, that he may walk according to the will of God.
If you notice there seems to be a sequence in his requests. He is using the avenues to the soul (senses) in his search for a closer walk with God, while he waits to be delivered. He looks, touches (reaches out to) God, and he listens, that he might draw nearer to God. I recognize in his request a desire for a “higher ground” experience. The song writer said it this way:
My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where these abound, My prayer, my aim is higher ground.
Refrain: Lord, lift me up, and I shall stand by faith on heaven’s tableland; a higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground (Johnson Oatman, Jr.).
Let us consider for a few moments the last portion of this Scripture, “for I lift up my soul to You.” How do we lift up our souls to God. Let me share with you two of the ways I believe we can do this:
Through prayer. The act of praying lifts our mind from the things of earth to things above. I believe that when we pray we enter the very presence of God. When divinity and humanity combine all things become possible. I believe if we could have a vision of the intermingling of the atmosphere of heaven with that of earth, at the moment of prayer, we would be surprised! God dwells in a sphere that is so high and holy and when we enter it, our lives can never be the same again! The change that occurs in us can be conducive to the answer to our prayers.
Through a study of the Word. I truly believe that reading the Word of God is also a way of lifting our souls to Him. We absorb God’s thoughts by studying His Word. That could be the reason Jesus asked us to dig deeper (John 5: 39)! We should not stay on the surface. Because Jesus is God, His Word is so “above us,” that our souls will naturally be “lifted up” as we study the Scriptures, in order to see Him. We cannot discern Him with our natural eyes. As we combine prayer and the study of the Word, our souls will soar to “higher ground,” where we can catch a glimpse of His face.
We will continue.