“And enter not into judgment with thy servant:
for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.”
(Psalm 143:2)
Scripture repeatedly declares that no one can stand before God on the strength of their own righteousness, for divine judgment based on human merit condemns all. Pardon is found in grace alone. “If God were to mark iniquity, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). If He were to weigh every thought, every motive, every work, even the best would be found wanting.
Edward Reynolds observed rightly that God is the source of all good things, and that He will not enter into judgment with His people but will be the fountain of good toward them. The psalmist joins in: “There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us” (Psalm 4:6). Every true good flows from Him, for “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).[1]
The danger lies in forgetting the source. Man clings to secondary causes—people, possessions, achievements—and credits them for good. But her healing was not in the garment touched by the woman in Luke 8:44, but in Christ Himself. So also with every blessing, temporal or eternal; the source is God alone.
“In God is the fountain of life” (Psalm 36:9). All good, from the light of the sun to the gift of salvation, issues from the same hand that fashioned heaven and earth. If He is the fountain, then I cannot drink apart from Him. I cannot be strengthened, enlightened, sanctified, or saved by my own will; to enjoy God, I need God.
We can learn several lessons from this truth. First, true happiness cannot be reached by human striving. Grace for living must flow from the source of life. Second, to qualify something as good requires tracing it back to God as the author and end. Third, boasting is silenced, for no man can say, “This good is mine,” without confessing it was God who gave the power to attain it. And fourth, adversity itself must be interpreted in light of God’s goodness. As a physician wounds to heal, so trials refine to sanctify. What seems bitter to us truly contains the mercy of our Maker.
The confession of the soul, then, must be that I have no good apart from God. My best works cannot justify me. My strength cannot sustain me. If I see any good in my life, it is God’s doing, not mine.
Contemplations:
- On the goodness of God. Every time I witness a sunrise or experience an unexpected kindness, I am reminded of Psalm 36:9, that in God alone is “the fountain of life.” I now know that every beautiful thing, every moment of joy, has its source in Him.
- The source of our strength. When my strength is gone and I feel like I can’t go on, Scripture reminds me that the strength I need doesn’t come from my own might but from God, who sanctifies and strengthens me (Phil. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:25).
- On discernment. Discerning between right and wrong in my life has always been a challenge. But when I trace my actions back to their origins, I see clearly. If they’re rooted in God’s love and His Word, I know I’m on the right path (James 1:17; Psalm 119:68).
- Facing adversity. There are days when I question the challenges I face. Yet, understanding that God uses even the tough times for His glory and my growth brings peace to my heart. It’s like the refining fire that purifies gold; the heat is intense, but the result is precious (Heb. 12:11; Isa. 48:10).
Prayer (confession)
Lord God, I confess that I often trust in myself, as though the good in my life comes from my own hand. I have measured my strength, admired my abilities, and leaned on my own wisdom, forgetting that in Your sight no man living shall be justified. Forgive me, for I have robbed You of glory.
I confess that I have seen provision and praised the means rather than the Giver. I have received blessings and grown proud rather than thankful. I have enjoyed mercies and then doubted You when adversity came, as though Your goodness had turned. Forgive me, Lord, for failing to trace every good back to You, the fountain of life.
I confess that in hardship I often murmur instead of trusting. When pain comes, I tend to question Your love. When loss strikes, how readily I forget Your faithfulness. Yet Your Word declares that even affliction is used for my profit that I may be partaker of Your holiness. Forgive my unbelief. Teach me to see Your hand in trial as much as in triumph.
How often I have thought my prayers, my service, my acts of obedience commend me to You. Yet Your Word reminds me that even my righteousness is as filthy rags, that none can be justified before You by works. Forgive me for claiming my merit instead of resting wholly on Christ.
Lord, cleanse me of these sins. Break down every vain confidence. Show me daily that You are the source of all good. Let me rise each morning with the confession that in You I live, and move, and have my being. Let me lie down at night confessing that every mercy of the day was from Your hand.
Give me grace to boast only in Christ. Let me see that all sufficiency is of God, that every gift is from above, that every step of holiness is wrought by Your Spirit. Let me walk humbly, not presuming on my own strength, but drawing from the fountain that never runs dry.
And Lord, when adversity comes, keep me from murmuring. Let me see in affliction the hand of a wise Physician, wounding to heal, refining to purify. Let me bow beneath Your providence, confessing that Your goodness is constant, unchanging, and eternal.
I cannot justify myself. I cannot sustain myself. I cannot sanctify myself. You, Lord, are the source of my grace. You must be my light, my life, my strength, my salvation. Without You I am nothing, but in You I have all.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Psalm 143:2:
Psalm 130:3, Job 9:3, Gal. 2:16, 1 John 1:10
[1] Edward Reynolds, “Israel’s Prayer in Time of Trouble, with God’ Gracious Answer Thereunto an Explication of the Fourteenth Chapter of Hosea,” in An Exposition of the Prophecy of Hosea, ed. James Sherman (Edinburgh; London: James Nichol; James Nisbet & Co., 1863), 624.
