VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS SESRMON

In Ps 143:7, David prayed to the Lord and said, “Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth.”  When your spirit fails it’s entirely exhausted, it’s deficient, or it’s diminished.  It seems that a black cloud has just settled in above you, cutting you off from God.  David said, “hide not thy face from me.”  Though the Lord hasn’t left, and certainly didn’t leave David, you sense that he could be far away from you.  David said, “lest I be like them that go down into the pit.”  And when your spirit fails, you might even say, “I’m in the pits.”

When your spirit fails, remember the two prayer requests and the two statements David made in Ps 143:8.  When your spirit fails:

Ask the Lord to affirm his love for you.  David prayed, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning.”  One of the best ways for the Lord to refresh your spirit is to affirm his love for you.  We know that God loved us enough to give us his only begotten Son.  Following salvation, however, we need to be reminded how much God loves us.  

Trust in the Lord.  David said, “in thee do I trust.”  Often, our spirit fails because the thing in which we trusted failed.  Men trust wealth, princes, friends, each other, and don’t realize how little they trust the Lord.  People and things will let you down.  And your spirit will fail when they do.  David said, truthfully, “in thee do I trust.”  The Lord will never let you down.

Ask the Lord to show you the way to walk.  David prayed, “Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.”  Often, this is the one thing we are most interested in knowing.   When we are down, we just want to know the way to get back up.  And if we consult with ourselves, with the itty bitty committee in our heads, we always come up with the wrong way.  The Lord knows the way, though he may not tell you right away.  He often waits until you are sure of his love for you and you are sure of your trust in him.  You can be sure of the way to walk by walking continually with him.

Lift up your soul unto God.  David said, “for I lift up my soul unto thee.”  When you are down in the pits, and your spirit fails, lift up your soul to God.  He will get you back up and lift you up above the thing that got you down.

Conclusion: next time your spirit fails, pray something like these two prayers that David prayed, and fully trust the Lord and lift up your soul to him.  He will revive and encourage your spirit.