“O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications; in Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness. And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous. For the enemy has persecuted my soul, he has crushed my life to the ground. He has made me dwell in darkness, like those long dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah. Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; in You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, revive me; in Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. In Your mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant!”
Psalm 142 is the last of the seven penitential prayers of the Psalter, the plea of a person who has reached the limit of strength (“my spirit fails within me”) and turns to God in the morning for mercy, guidance, and deliverance. It is prayed in deep oppression, in persecution, in the loss of direction—when one needs not only to survive, but to learn again to do God’s will.
If you were looking for this psalm under a different number, note the numbering. In the Ohienko translation, which follows the church (Greek, Septuagint) tradition, this is Psalm 142; in the Hebrew numbering adopted in most modern Protestant editions, the same text appears under the number Psalm 143The difference arose because the Greek tradition combines Psalms 9 and 10 into one, so afterward the entire numbering runs one number lower. It is the same psalm—only with a different ordinal number.
What this psalm is about
Psalm 142 concludes the ancient church collection of seven penitential psalms (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142). It begins not with self-justification, but with sober acknowledgment: “do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous.” The one who prays does not bargain with God on the basis of personal righteousness—he relies only on God’s faithfulness and righteousness. This is the prayer of a person who has nothing left to hide behind except the mercy of the One to whom he cries.
The second part of the psalm describes a condition easily recognized by anyone who has gone through prolonged trouble. The enemy “crushes my life to the ground,” places one “in darkness, like those long dead”; the spirit fails, the heart grows “numb.” This is the image of exhaustion, when feelings fade and prayer becomes difficult. And it is precisely here that the psalmist takes a characteristic step: he “remembers the days of old,” reflecting on what God has already done before. Memory of God’s past works becomes support when the present offers no ray of hope—hands stretch out to God, and the soul longs for Him “like a thirsty land” longs for rain.
The climax is not simply a request for rescue, but a request for direction: “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning… cause me to know the way in which I should walk” and, finally, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.” The person asks not only to come out of trouble, but to come out of it in the right way, led by God’s “good Spirit” “on level ground.” This makes Psalm 142 close to other great penitential prayers, such as Psalm 50 “Have mercy on me, O God”, where the concern is also not only forgiveness, but a renewed heart and readiness to follow God.
When to read Psalm 142
This psalm naturally fits specific situations:
- when you are exhausted and feel that “my spirit fails”—there is no strength either to act or even to pray;
- during unjust pressure, persecution, slander, or hostility, when it is impossible to defend yourself on your own;
- in deep sorrow or a depressive state, when the world seems like “darkness”;
- in the morning, when you need to begin the day with a request for God’s mercy and guidance—the psalm directly says: “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning”;
- at a crossroads, when you do not know “the way in which I should walk,” and you need God’s guidance in making a decision.
As a morning prayer for guidance, it pairs well with morning prayer, and in days of anxiety for loved ones and for the country—with a prayer for Ukraine.
How to pray this psalm
- Read the psalm slowly out loud once—simply to hear its mood, without analyzing it.
- Pause at the words that resonate with your condition (“my spirit fails,” “darkness,” “thirsty land”), and tell God in your own words what lies behind them in your life specifically.
- Following the psalmist, “remember the days of old”: recall specific times when God has already helped you or your loved ones, and thank Him for them—this restores your footing.
- Turn the request “teach me to do Your will” into a quiet plea for the specific decision that stands before you today.
- Finish by entrusting yourself to God: “I lift up my soul to You”—and leave the outcome in His hands, without rushing to get an immediate answer.
The Adventist view
Seventh-day Adventists read this psalm as a model of honest prayer of faith: a person does not hide despair, but neither does he remain in it, because he places hope not in his own strength, but in God’s faithfulness and righteousness. The request “teach me to do Your will” expresses well how we understand sanctification—not as a one-time leap, but as daily learning to obey God under the guidance of His Spirit, “on level ground.” Here there is no opposition between God’s grace and obedience: first mercy, and from it the ability to walk in God’s way.
The image of darkness and “those who go down into the pit” reminds us of the reality of death, but the whole psalm is directed toward life: “revive me,” “bring my soul out of trouble.” For the believer, this request reaches beyond temporary deliverance—it points to that final hope which Scripture describes as the promise of the resurrection and a new heaven and a new earth (for example, other psalms of the Psalter and the imagery of Revelation 21). The God to whom the psalmist cries in the morning is the same God who promised to be with us in the darkest time (Isaiah 41:10) and to come again to wipe away every tear forever.
If you want to explore a particular verse of this psalm more deeply, ask our AI assistant below.
