Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; in You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. In Your mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant. Psalm 143: 9-12, NKJV.
Dear God, as we come before You to study Your Word, we ask that Your Holy Spirit remain with us, and teach us what is Your will for our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Today we conclude our series on Deliverance. My prayer is, that now that we are aware of who our real enemy is, we will join forces with others who are in need of deliverance, and help them to fight their spiritual battles, by praying for, and with, them. I pray that we will use our spiritual war gear (prayer and Bible study) to go on to higher ground. May we always remember that our Shelter will be there in the time of storm!
Today, the psalmist adds a new dimension to his request, he asks for revival. This is a very valid request from someone who had gone down to the pit (grave). When you think of the meaning of the word revive (to bring back to life), it makes all the sense in the world. After you have been buffeted to the place where you can hardly see the face of God, and you find yourself barely “existing,” you realize that it is time for a revival, for some changes to take place, in your life. This is a crucial period! You need to recognize it, and be open, to allow revival to take place! These changes are made with the purpose of bringing glory to God – for His name’s sake!
When God frees our soul from trouble, we desire a new lifestyle. We want to “walk right” (in righteousness). When God delivers His people, they have a new outlook on life. The things they used to do, just do not feel right anymore. Many of us, after deliverance, no longer want to judge others. Instead, we want to love the way Jesus loves; we want to forgive the way Jesus forgives; we want to give of ourselves, to improve the life of others, the way Jesus did. We want to walk in “newness of life.”
The reason we want a change is because we recognize, in a way we did not recognize before, that we are “servants” of the “Most High God.” The psalmist now asks God to have mercy upon him and to free him from his enemies. The fact that this psalm begins and ends with a prayer for deliverance, leads me to conclude, that he is entirely convinced that only God delivers! And that is the truth!