LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. – Psalm 143:1

Today's Scripture Reading (September 12, 2025): Psalm 143

I admit that I love adventure movies. I will watch "Indiana Jones" movies as long as Hollywood is willing to make them. I miss Bruce Willis as he suffers through the effects of dementia and aphasia, but I try to find time to watch "Die Hard" one and two every Christmas. And some years, I admit that I keep watching until all the "Die Hard" movies have been watched one more time. When I read, some of my favorite novels. Decades ago, I discovered the writing of H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925), and I especially enjoy his Allan Quartermain novels beginning with "King Solomon's Mines." Of course, there are some more contemporary authors that I love to read when I can find some downtime, such as Nelson DeMille and J. Robert Kennedy, especially the series that features fictional archeologist James Acton, who is an Indiana Jones-like character, except maybe that Acton, through his wife, who shares in his adventures, is wealthy.

However, I am not sure that anyone's life could be filled with all of the adventures that James Acton or even Indian Jones undertakes. It is exciting to watch or read about their adventures, but in real life, it would be overwhelming. Having said that, some people seem to handle more adventure in real life than I can find. Maybe that is why I enjoy action novels and movies.

David's life seemed to be filled with adventure. Sometimes it seemed that Israel's Poet King ran from the conclusion of one adventure into the beginning of the next. It also meant that David was continually in trouble. Yeah, some of it was his own fault, but the nonstop adventures of King David suggest that there were ample chances for David to cry out to God for help. So, often, we really don't know what the situation is, only that David has found himself in another situation where only the hand of God could save him. So, he prays, asking God for mercy and relief.

This verse is a good example of the Jewish poetic dualism; David rephrases the same idea with different words. It is found in the concept of God hearing David's prayer and listening to his cry. It is also found in the idea that David is asking for God's mercy and for relief. The repetition is an element of Jewish poetic writing.

However, we can't lose sight of the fact that David required help from God, and he was willing to write down his request, so that thousands of years later, we can read the King's prayer, understand that David went through times of trouble just as we do, and we know that God was willing to honor David's request.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 144