When the Heart Cries Out for God: A Look Into Psalmsنموونە

Day 7: Unfailing Love

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. (Psalm 143:8 NLT)

Psalm 143 is the last of several penitential psalms, and it is not as introspective or desperate as the others. The psalmist sees himself as a sinner, and he is aware that “no one is innocent” before God (Psalm 143:2)—a thought emphasized by New Testament writers, particularly Paul, in teaching that we are justified by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Like anyone who senses God’s presence, he’s very aware of his insufficiency.

So this psalmist carries a repentant attitude into his communion with God. Yet he is also full of urgent requests. He is “paralyzed with fear” (143:4), and he knows only God can help.

One way to get beyond that overwhelming feeling of fear is to remember all the great things God has done in days of old (143:5). When we recall his works and his ways in the lives of biblical and historical characters and in our own experience, we see a pattern—a God who meets us in our brokenness, not just telling us the truth about it but walking us through it and healing us from it. He enters our desperation, pain, and losses, offering his power, restoration, and inheritance, and we come out victorious, healed, and whole. In love, he pours himself out for us, in us, and through us.

Re-Envision His Love

That’s our model. As recipients of God’s unfailing love (143:8), we also enter people’s brokenness and lead them out into wholeness. Or, as John once put it, “we love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, esv). We can’t do that without a revelation of God’s love in the first place, which is why Paul prayed for believers to be supernaturally empowered to grasp all the dimensions of the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:16-19). The more we know we’re loved, the more we can pour love into others.

A vision of the intimate love of our Father flowing constantly into our lives unravels anxiety, defuses fears, and frees us from the sense of oppression the psalmist feels here. It compensates for all our insufficiencies and pulls us out of our desperation. It also makes us patient in times of trouble. We have no need for panic; we know our Father will come through.

Even more, that vision of love addresses our deepest longings. It satisfies the thirst of our soul and our search for fulfillment. It saturates us in the presence of God and answers our cry for his goodness. Most of all, it brings us home to him.

Want More Study?

This plan was inspired by Chris Tiegreen's The See Series, a new collection of devotional commentaries on John, Romans, Philippians, and Psalms. The See Series unlocks a deeper understanding of the Bible often reserved for scholars and theologians, by pairing accessible commentary with inspirational devotional thought. If we can see what biblical writers saw and live according to that vision, we can be transformed. Discover more on The See Series at christiegreen.com.