Psalm 143:1 NKJV
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
Praying Boldly Based on God’s Character
MY NOTES
“Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.” — Psalm 143:1 NKJV
Have you ever made a request to someone and immediately found yourself scanning their face, desperately trying to read their expression to see how they took it? There are moments in life when our situation is so fragile, and our need is so urgent, that we simply cannot afford a half-hearted, distracted listener.
As David opens Psalm 143, he finds himself in an intense crisis. His life is a blur of constant difficulties, broken down into what he calls his “supplications”—a word that implies a varied, multi-layered pouring out of specific needs. In this moment, David isn’t treating prayer as a mere self-improvement exercise or a therapeutic ritual that makes him feel better just by speaking into the void. To David, prayer is a real plea made to a real God. He knows that if God does not actively lean down, listen, and answer him, he will be completely lost.
Because the pressure is so intense, David begs for special attention. He doubles his plea, crying out, “Hear my prayer… Give ear to my supplications!” He is knocking urgently on the doors of heaven, asking for an audience with the Living God.
But notice how David shifts his focus from the urgency of his request to the character of the One he is praying to. He doesn’t ask God to answer him based on his own resume, his own goodness, or his past victories. Instead, David hitches his prayer to two unshakeable, eternal attributes of God: His faithfulness and His righteousness.
First, he says, “In Your faithfulness answer me.” Faithfulness means keeping your word. David was essentially saying, “Lord, remember the gracious promises You made to me. You promised to be my shield, my shepherd, and my deliverer.
When you find yourself in a tight spot, the most powerful thing you can do is remind God of what He has already written down. He will never allow His faithfulness to fail.
Second, he appeals to God’s righteousness. This can sound terrifying at first. How can a flawed, struggling human being ask a holy, perfect God to answer a prayer based on justice?
A beautiful old story tells of a Christian woman on her deathbed who was asked the grounds of her hope for eternity. She calmly replied, “I rely on the justice of God.” When her pastor expressed surprise, she smiled and added, “Justice, not to me, but to my Substitute, Jesus Christ, in whom I trust.”
Because of the Gospel, God’s righteousness is no longer a weapon used to crush us; it is a shield used to defend us. As it regards our enemies or the unfair accusations of the world, we can boldly ask the Righteous Judge to step in and vindicate our cause. And as it regards our relationship with God, we can stand on the truth of 1 John 1:9—that He is faithful and just to forgive us.
When you pray, you don’t have to wish upon a star or hope that God is simply in a good mood. You are protected on both sides. On one side stands His absolute faithfulness to His promises, and on the other stands His uncompromised righteousness through Jesus. Anchor your prayers in who He is, and watch Him act according to His flawless character.
Prayer
Abba, I come before You today with an earnest heart, asking You to hear my prayer and give ear to my deepest concerns. Lord, I don’t stand before You presenting my own resume, my own good deeds, or my own strength, because I know I fall short. Instead, I appeal directly to Your character. Answer me according to Your unwavering faithfulness to the promises You have made in Your Word. Thank You that because of Jesus, my Substitute, Your righteousness is a place of safety for me, not condemnation. Step into my current situation, vindicate me where I am overwhelmed, and show Yourself strong on my behalf. I rest in the fact that Your Word doesn’t return to You without accomplishing what You sent it out to do. I ask You and thank You for this In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Prayer is a Real Transaction: True prayer is not just about changing our internal mood; it is an appeal to a real, listening God for actual, history-shaping help.
- Plead the Promises: When you don’t know what else to say, bring God’s specific promises to the table. Rely on His faithfulness.
- Justice is on Your Side: Through Christ, God’s righteousness works for your salvation and rescue, not against it. You can boldly ask the Righteous Judge to intervene where you are being wronged or overwhelmed.
Cross-References (NKJV)
- Psalm 31:1 > “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.”
- Psalm 89:34 > “My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.”
- 1 John 1:9 > “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Things to Think About:
- The Substitute’s Peace: Reflect on the reality that God’s justice is currently working for you because of Jesus. How does it make you feel to realize that God’s powerful attribute of righteousness is a source of safety and protection for you, rather than a source of fear?
- Auditing Your View of Prayer: Do you tend to view prayer merely as a psychological exercise to calm your nerves, or do you view it as a real, active conversation with a Sovereign God? How would your prayer life change this week if you fully embraced the fact that He is actively “giving ear” to you?
- Finding the Promises: What is a specific trial or anxiety you are facing right now? Find at least one biblical promise that directly addresses that issue, write it out, and draft a short prayer asking God to answer you “in His faithfulness” to that exact word.
- The Courtroom of Grace: Reflect on an area of your life where you feel unfairly treated, accused, or overwhelmed by circumstances. What does it look like to hand that case over to God as the Righteous Judge, rather than trying to fight it out in your own strength?
Proverb for Today
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom. Proverbs 10:19-21 NKJV
Daily Scripture
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9 NKJV
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Summary of Commentaries:
In Psalm 143:1, David earnestly pleads for God to hear his prayer and supplications, repeating his request for attentive audience. He appeals not to his own merit but to God’s faithfulness to His promises and righteousness in defending the just. Commentators note this reflects humble trust in God’s character, turning crisis into persistent prayer, confident that divine justice—fulfilled through Christ—secures forgiveness and deliverance.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications.” In the preceding psalm, he began by declaring that he had cried unto the Lord; here he begs to be favorably regarded by Jehovah the living God, whose memorial is that he heareth prayer. He knew that Jehovah did hear prayer, and therefore he entreated him to hear his supplication, however feeble and broken it might be. In two forms, he implores the one blessing of gracious audience: “hear” and “give ear.” Gracious men are so eager to be heard in prayer that they double their entreaties for that boon. The Psalmist desires to be heard and to be considered; hence, he cries, “hear,” and then “give ear.” Our case is difficult, and we plead for special attention. Here, it is probable that David wished his suit against his adversaries to be heard by the righteous Judge, confident that if he had a hearing in the matter whereof he was slanderously accused, he would be triumphantly acquitted. Yet while somewhat inclined thus to lay his case before the Court of King’s Bench, he prefers rather to turn it all into a petition, and present it before the Court of Requests, hence he cries rather “hear my prayer” than “hear my suit.” Indeed, David is specially earnest that he himself, and the whole of his life, may not become the subject of trial, for in that event he could not hope for acquittal. Observe that he offered so much pleading that his life became one continual prayer; but that petitioning was so varied in form that it broke out in many supplications.
“In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.” Saints desire to be answered as well as heard: they long to find the Lord faithful to his promise and righteous in defending the cause of justice. It is a happy thing when we dare appeal even to righteousness for our deliverance, and this we can do upon gospel principles, for “if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Even the sterner attributes of God are upon the side of the man who humbly trusts and turns his trust into prayer. It is a sign of our safety when our interests and those of righteousness are blended. With God’s faithfulness and righteousness upon our side, we are guarded on the right hand and on the left. These are active attributes, and fully equal to the answering of any prayer which it would be right to answer. Requests which do not appeal to either of these attributes it would not be for the glory of God to hear, for they must contain desires for things not promised and unrighteous.
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Enduring Word
Hear my prayer, O LORD: This psalm describes David in another crisis. Because his life was filled with so much activity and danger, it is impossible to link this psalm to any one particular point of crisis. It could be from the time before David was recognized as king, living as a fugitive from King Saul, or it could be from David’s time as king, particularly when his son Absalom led a rebellion against him. (Guzik)
i. In this crisis, David knew that he must cry out to God and that God must hear him, or he would be lost. For David, prayer was not merely a self-improvement exercise that was good for him whether God heard him or not; prayer was a real plea made to a real God who could be appealed unto to hear, to answer, and to help. (Guzik)
Give ear to my supplications: This is the same idea as hear my prayer in the previous line. David used the familiar Hebrew poetic form of parallelism, repeating the same idea in different words for the purpose of emphasis. (Guzik)
c. In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness: David appealed to the faithfulness and righteousness of God in his request. He asked God to act consistently with those attributes and to answer David. (Guzik)
i. David knew something of the character and nature of God, and this shaped his prayer life. He could never ask God to be unfaithful or unrighteous. Yet he could ask God to act according to His character, and David did boldly make his request on that basis. (Guzik)
ii. In Your righteousness: “Even the sterner attributes of God are upon the side of the man who humbly trusts, and turns his trust into prayer.” (Spurgeon)
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Albert Barnes
In thy faithfulness answer me – That is, Show thy faithfulness to thy promises. God had made gracious promises to David (compare Psalms 89:19-37), and he now pleads that he would remember those promises, and accomplish in his behalf what he had said he would. God has also made gracious promises to his people, and they may always plead those promises as a reason why they should be heard and why their prayers should be answered.
And in thy righteousness – Compare Psalms 31:1. In thy disposition to do right; to vindicate a righteous cause; to interpose when wrong is done. We, though sinners before God, may feel that our cause is a just one as toward our fellowmen, and, when wronged, we may ask God to interpose, as a righteous God, in our behalf. We cannot, however, ask him to save us on the ground of our righteousness toward him, for we have no such righteousness. See Psalms 143:2.
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John Gill
Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications,…. With these requests, David begins the psalm; for it was to no purpose to pray and were heard; and for which he always appears to be concerned, as every good man will, and not to be heard only, but to be answered, as follows;
in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness; he does not plead his own faith, with which he believed in God, as rama interprets it; though the prayer of faith is very effectual; but the faithfulness of God to his promises; he had promised to hear, answer, and deliver such as called on him in a time of trouble; and he is faithful that has promised, nor will he suffer his faithfulness to fail; he cannot deny himself; and on this the psalmist relied for an answer, as well as desired and expected it; not on account of his own righteousness, but either on account of the goodness and grace of God, sometimes designed by righteousness, or because of the righteousness of Christ, or for the sake of Christ, the Lord our righteousness; on whose account God is just and faithful to forgive sin, the blessing the psalmist wanted, as appears from Psalm 143:2.
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Matthew Henry
David humbly begs to be heard (v. 1), not as if he questioned it, but he earnestly desired it, and was in care about it, for, having desired it, and was in care about it, for having directed his prayer, he looked up to see how it sped, Hab. 2:1. He is a suppliant to his God, and he begs that his requests may be granted: Hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications. He is an appellant against his persecutors, and he begs that his case may be brought to hearing and that God will give judgment upon it, in his faithfulness and righteousness, as the Judge of right and wrong. Or, “Answer my petitions in thy faithfulness, according to the promises thou hast made, which thou wilt be just to.” We have no righteousness of our own to plead, and therefore must plead God’s righteousness, the word of promise which he has freely given us and caused us to hope in.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“Hear my prayer….give ear to my supplications… answer me.” He doth here three times repeat his camest desire to be heard, as in fifth psalm four times he doubles and ingeminateth this same suit to be heard…. When he doubles his request of hearing, he would have God hear with both his ears, that is, most attentively and readily: so instant is a mind that he desireth the prayer he putteth up to be remembered, as was said the angel to the centurion: “Thy prayer and almsdeeds are come up God:” Act 10:4.
—Archibald Symson.
“Answer me in thy righteousness.” Forgiveness is not inconsistent with truth or righteousness, and the pardon which in mercy God bestows upon the sinner is bestowed in justice to the well-beloved Son who accepted and discharged the sinner’s obligations. This is an infinitely precious truth, and the hearts of thousands in every age have been sustained and gladdened by it. A good old Christian woman in humble life so fully realized this, that when a revered servant of God asked her, as she lay on her dying pillow, the ground of her hope for eternity, she replied, with great composure, “I rely on the justice of God;” adding, however, when the reply excited surprise, “justice, not to me, but to my Substitute, in whom I trust.”
—Robert Macdonald, in “From Day to Day; or, Helpful Words for Christian Life,” 1879.
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