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What we must do to pave the way for the future

(Psalm 143)

Andy Nagahara

Today’s text is Psalm 143. It contains the secrets that will enable us to move forward into the future with hope, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. Let’s read with anticipation.

1. There is no one righteous (0-4)

0 A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

What is important to note here is that the psalmist says, “None of us have any righteousness that we can claim before God.” We too need to be fully aware of this fact.
The psalmist believes that God will listen to his plea not because he deserves it, but because he believes that God’s mercy is extended to him, a sinner. And he believes that this mercy is God’s true way of being and His righteousness.

As verses 3 and 4 say, his situation is extremely severe, and he complains that the people who threaten him have made him feel as dark as a tomb, causing his mind and soul to shrink.
The psalmist knows that although according to God’s standards of righteousness he deserves to be condemned, his current predicament is not a judgment or punishment from God. So he can ask for mercy.
By recognizing this, we too can seek God’s mercy without thinking about unnecessary things. And asking for mercy is the first step towards a brighter future in the midst of darkness.

2. Remembering past blessings (5, 6)

5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

It’s a common occurrence among older people that songs they sang in church a long time ago, such as hymns and carols, suddenly come back to them in their minds, and this has been happening to me a lot recently. Among them is a song called “Count Your Blessings” (Hymn 604), which has the refrain “Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God has done.” The lyrics were inspired by Psalm 103:2, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
This is what the psalmist is doing here.
And I believe we too are being encouraged to remember the blessings the Lord has shown us in the past.

We forget God’s past blessings and easily doubt where God is in the midst of our current difficulties and what He can do for us. God’s grace may be like air to our bodies. To our senses, air is something we take for granted and don’t usually pay any attention to. Air is not something we can create in the first place, and it is a mixture of various gases. This balance is maintained so miraculously that if the concentration were to be disturbed, people would no longer be able to survive, and I believe that in itself is a blessing from God.
Yet most people would not thank God for air balance. God’s grace is so abundant and so numerous that people quickly get used to it and forget about it. Then we begin to doubt God and our peace of mind disappears.

The fact that we are here together now, worshiping God together, is a miracle through God’s grace, but how many of us are aware of that?
From the moment we are born, we make many choices every day as we move through life. The result of all those many individual choices has brought us here together worshiping God. And there were probably many choices that we would not be here if we hadn’t made them. And even when it came to making those choices, there probably weren’t many that were made without hesitation.
In other words, this is not the result of our own righteous choices, but the result of God’s merciful guidance.

We have been able to avoid many crises and have been rescued even when disasters have occurred. I am not saying this to make you feel obliged to me, as it is nothing other than God’s merciful guidance, but if I had made just one different choice about my career path, yourchurch would not have come into existence.
　When I think about this, I feel grateful that God has involved me, a sinner who, like the psalmist, cannot endure His judgment, in His plan and used me, and I am sure that He will continue to guide me in the same way in the future.
The only way to recall things that are easily forgotten is through repetition. I hope that you will also use the blessings you have received as nourishment for tomorrow, and do not forget them by, for example, writing down five of God’s blessings in a notebook before you go to bed.

3. You are my God and I am your servant (7-12)

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

How can he continue to trust the Lord when he’s been through so much? As I mentioned in the previous section, trust in God is based on countless blessings from the past. Whatever the situation, there is not a single condition in which God Almighty cannot intervene.
The psalmist therefore calls out to God, “Let me hear of your lovingkindness, for in you I trust. Let me know the way I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you.” I believe this is the heart of worship. If we worship with that kind of trust, won’t God show us even more grace?
In order for this to happen, I have recommended throughout today’s text that we 1) be aware of our sinfulness (which can only be achieved by relying on God’s mercy) and 2) recall and remember the many blessings we have received in spite of it.

And finally, there is one more thing I would like to mention. That is, I would like all of us to establish a personal relationship with God, not “us and God,” but “me and God. So, I would like to focus on the two paired phrases in this passage: “You are my God” and “I am your servant.”
We come from different backgrounds and have many shortcomings. Can we, as people of the same body of Christ, build a good relationship? Through Pastor Mari’s recent messages, we have been taught what we need to be aware of in order to achieve this. These two phrases point to the foundation that we must be aware of.

Without this foundation, it is impossible to build a good relationship with anyone. If we don’t have a strong relationship with God, we can’t have good relationships with others. Finally, here are some words that Jesus said to Peter: Please listen as if it is being spoken to you. And I hope you build a strong personal relationship with Jesus through personal worship on Sundays and every day.

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”(John 21:20-22)

(Prayer) God, we remember and thank you for the many blessings you have given us up to this day through your mercy.
Thank you for the greatest blessing into our lives, that you became our substitute on the cross for us who are unable to atone for our deep sins.
Guide us to remember the blessings you give us each day and to trust in you so that we can complete our journey in this world to the end.
You are my God and I am your servant.
We thank you and pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Summary

In order to continue to walk with strength, trusting in God even in the midst of difficulties, it is necessary to recognize our own sinfulness and God’s mercy, to remember and not forget the grace God has given us in the past, and to build a personal relationship with God.

For Discussion

1. Besides believing in Jesus as Lord, what is the greatest blessing that has ever come to you?
2. Why is it important to remember the blessings we have received in the past?