Devotions - Tuesday, March 11

This morning I was reading Psalm 143. Verse 1 was very comforting to me. It reads:

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.

Most often, when we hear talk of "righteousness," the reference is to our righteousness. We speak of the need to be righteous, or to seek righteousness. So many of our thoughts about salvation involve what it takes for us to be made righteous. In this psalm, it is God's righteousness which comes into play. It is not a matter of how well we reflect God's gracious good, the focus is turned to how good God is.

Maybe you have had opportunity to worship in one of those congregations where the chant gets going between congregation and worship leader:

God is good!

All the time!

All the time!

God is good!

We generally hear this responsive chat in association with the gifts God bestows upon us. It might be even more appropriate were it to address the goodness of this good God.

It is God's righteousness which saves us. More important than our own, it is His righteousness which matters.

I will add my voice to that of the Psalmist. I will cry out to God, that in his righteousness he might hear me. Like the Psalmist (verse 8) I ask, "Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust."