Psalm 143 8

Psalm 143:8 kjv

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Psalm 143:8 nkjv

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.

Psalm 143:8 niv

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8 esv

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 143:8 nlt

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 verses

Psalm 143 8 Meaning

Psalm 143:8 is a fervent prayer from a distressed soul seeking immediate divine assurance and specific guidance. It expresses absolute reliance on God's faithful love and appeals for clear direction on how to live righteously, founded upon complete trust and devotion to Him. It encapsulates a plea for God to reveal His unfailing love each new day, provide wisdom for life's journey, and acknowledge the supplicant's full reliance and dedication.

Psalm 143 8 Context

Psalm 143 is identified as a penitential psalm, one of David's laments expressing deep distress and desperation. In the preceding verses (Ps 143:3-7), David graphically describes his suffering: he is persecuted by enemies, crushed to the ground, and overwhelmed by a spirit of darkness, leading to extreme spiritual anguish. He feels his spirit faint and his heart desolate. Amidst this profound personal anguish and external threat, David acknowledges his own sinfulness (Ps 143:2) but appeals to God's righteousness and mercy. Verse 8 emerges as a plea for immediate deliverance and direction, a desperate cry for God's presence and specific guidance to illuminate his path out of the shadows. It marks a shift from recounting his suffering to actively seeking divine intervention, reflecting total dependence on God when all earthly avenues appear futile.

Psalm 143 8 Word analysis

• "Cause me to hear" (הַשְׁמִיעֵנִי - hashmiyeni): This is a Hiphil imperative, a strong causative command asking God to make David hear, actively revealing. It implies a deep yearning not for mere sound but for clarity, understanding, and personal assurance from God's own voice amidst confusion or silence.

• "Your lovingkindness" (חַסְדֶּךָ - chasdekha): The highly significant Hebrew term chesed. It refers to God's steadfast love, loyal covenant-faithfulness, abundant mercy, grace, and unfailing goodness. David appeals not to abstract love but to God’s specific, relational commitment to His people, a vital source of comfort and certainty in distress.

• "in the morning" (בַבֹּקֶר - babbaqer): A deliberate temporal specification. The morning is traditionally a time of new beginnings, the breaking of light over darkness, renewed mercies (Lam 3:22-23), and a common time for prayer and seeking divine instruction. It highlights David’s longing for immediate, daily renewal and assurance.

• "for in You I trust" (כִּי בְךָ בָטַחְתִּי - ki bekha bataḥti): The conjunction "for" (כִּי - ki) introduces the reason or justification for David's request. Bāṭaḥ (בָּטַח) signifies to rely firmly, lean upon with confidence, or feel secure in. David grounds his plea in his active and complete dependence on God, making his prayer legitimate and fervent.

• "cause me to know" (הוֹדִיעֵנִי - hodi'eni): Another Hiphil imperative, derived from yāda' (יָדַע), meaning to know experientially, intimately, or to reveal. This is a request for a practical, not just intellectual, understanding—a divine disclosure of the right course of action.

• "the way in which I should walk" (דֶּרֶךְ זוּ אֵלֵךְ - derekh zu elekh): Derekh (דֶּרֶךְ) means path, road, or, broadly, way of life and conduct. This refers to the specific, God-ordained course of life, the righteous choices David must make. His "walk" (אֵלֵךְ - elekh) denotes his active conduct and life's journey.

• "for to You I lift up my soul" (כִּי אֵלֶיךָ נַפְשִׁי - ki eilekha nafshi): Again, "for" introduces the profound reason. Nāśā' (נָשָׂא) means to lift or raise. Nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ) typically means soul, life, or inner being—the entire self. This phrase expresses utter spiritual longing, fervent prayer, and total surrender. His entire being is directed toward God, signifying devotion and a complete willingness to follow where God leads.

• "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness... for in You I trust": This pairing illustrates that true reliance on God (trust) naturally leads to a desperate desire to perceive His unfailing love. The hearing of God's chesed provides the reassurance and foundational certainty upon which faith flourishes and empowers one to seek His further guidance.

• "cause me to know the way... for to You I lift up my soul": Here, a complete and wholehearted surrender of the self (lifting the soul) underpins the plea for specific direction. The dedication of one’s entire being to God establishes the readiness to walk any path He reveals. Knowing the way is the practical outcome of deep, holistic devotion.

• The parallel structure of the pleas and their rationales: The verse is composed of two balanced requests, each followed by a "for" clause that explains the basis of the request. This symmetrical structure underscores David's logical progression: assurance builds trust, and trust fuels surrender, leading to divine guidance.

Psalm 143 8 Bonus section

This verse beautifully captures the integrated nature of Christian living: doctrine (understanding God's chesed), disposition (trusting), and daily discipline (seeking God in the morning, asking for direction, surrendering one's soul). The "morning" aspect subtly points to a readiness to begin each day in active communion and anticipation of divine encounter. It underscores that spiritual nourishment and guidance are not one-time events but a continual, refreshing dependency on the Creator. "Lifting up the soul" denotes the highest form of worship and absolute yielding, where the believer desires nothing more than to be aligned with God's will and walk in His ways. It transforms distress into devotion, demonstrating that profound human vulnerability can lead to an even deeper experience of divine sufficiency and purpose.

Psalm 143 8 Commentary

Psalm 143:8 is a poignant cry from the depths of despair that transitions into a profound expression of faith. David's request to "hear Your lovingkindness in the morning" signifies a need for daily, renewed assurance of God's steadfast, covenantal love (His chesed) to dissipate the spiritual and practical darkness surrounding him. This daily dose of divine grace is vital precisely because he places his complete and active "trust" in God. Flowing from this unshakable trust in God's character, he moves to a plea for concrete direction: "cause me to know the way in which I should walk." This isn't abstract curiosity but a fervent longing for an experiential, divinely revealed path amidst his perilous circumstances. The very foundation of this earnest request for guidance lies in his total devotion: "for to You I lift up my soul." This signifies not just verbal prayer but the absolute surrender of his entire being—his life, his will, his deepest longings—to God. This verse therefore models a timeless spiritual journey: recognize God's unfailing character, place unwavering trust in Him, wholeheartedly commit your being to Him, and then actively seek His specific, practical guidance, confident that His light will shine on your path daily.