Psalm 143:5-6

Psalm 143: 5-6

5 I remembered the days of old,

I meditated on all your work,

about the deed of your hands I will talk.

6 I stretched out my hands to you;

my soul like thirsty ground for you.

A WAIT POWERED BY REMEMBERING AND GIVING THANKS

            Psalm 130 reminded me that prayer powers me in times of waiting. Yet, sometimes we have no energy left to pray or lament, especially when we see no way out of problems that pursue us like psalmist’s enemies in vv. 3-4.

At times like this, Psalm 143:5 reminds me of another lifeline that accompanies our prayers: giving thanks for what God has done. In times of despair, the psalmist recalls the days he had experienced God personally. He soaks himself in these memories—meditating upon them to internalise and talking about them to externalise.

Looking back then orient him to looking up in the next verse. In v. 6, his hands stretch out for God (the Piel intensive is used to emphasise his yearning), and he thirsts for God as a parched throat (the root meaning for “soul” is throat) thirsts for water.

When problems beyond my control pursue me and my family, I shall remember. I shall remember how he has kept my parents together amidst long, trying years. I shall remember how I experienced his love and help when I felt most alone and helpless out in the mission field. I shall remember how he preserved my laughter even when I feel broken. I shall remember how He answered my prayers by bringing friends, even lecturers, to journey very personally with me in the past year. And I shall remember that God has given me himself as my sole reward, regardless of my circumstances.

I shall remember, and I shall give thanks.

Esther Peh
(M.Div., Yr 2)