Remembering and Stretching
“I will remember the days of old, I meditate on all that you have done. I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you, my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.” Psalm 143:5-6 (ESV)
David wrote these words just after speaking of the desolation of his spirit. Verses 3 and 4 of the same Psalm reads, “…the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.” I find this instructing and inspiring: the connection between David’s spirits and what He chooses thereafter to think on. Here, David reacts to his low spirits by remembering what God has done in the past, and Who God is. We see this throughout so many of the psalms David wrote; He groans and then records the glory of God and His works. David’s faith is built up, he stretches forth his hands with hope, and God is glorified through the praise and trust of one of His servant.
This is an example to me. In my own desolation of spirit, when moments of darkness seem to cover my soul like dense fog (and these moments do come!), I too must remember who God is and what He has done. Nothing can negotiate the fact that He is good and He has redeemed my soul! Darkness doesn’t always lift instantaneously, but recalling what God has done for me (especially in regards to the Gospel) steadies my soul and by grace, increases faith and hope in God who is faithful.
“I stretch out my hands to You.”
Filed under: Christian Living