Psalm 25
“Of David. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.”
In this psalm David seems to be constantly putting his faith in God and praying that God would save him from his enemies. David was a man after God’s own heart and so he obviously had plenty of enemies that were seeking his life oftentimes. David begins the psalm by declaring that he will only lift his soul to/ put his trust in the Lord. We too often lift the deep cries and distresses of our souls to close friends and family while totally neglecting the One who cares most about our souls. We can learn from David here that our souls ought first to seek refuge in our God before they seek refuge in man. How often do you pray when temptations and trials are around you? We are told to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17)! David declares to God that his faith will be shameful if it is in a god who cannot save and so he prays for God to rescue him from his enemies thus proving God’s power. Just after David prays that he would not be put to shame, he backs it up with the promise that nobody who has faith in God will in the end be put to shame. This ought to be uplifting to our faith. Whenever we encounter trials and temptations that seem to difficult and pray for the Lord to help us, we can know that he will never allow our faith to go unseen. It is only those who put their faith in things other than God who will be ashamed in the end. David is a man crying out for more godliness in his life and I think that is the reason God used him so much. This psalm is like a constant cry of faith in God and it seems to always turn its focus back to him in all circumstances. David says he waits for the Lord all the day long and I think we can learn from this. We often pray for a week and give up when we don’t see results, but David is constantly trusting the Lord to help no matter how long it takes. The length of time it takes for God to answer our prayers ought not nullify our faith for him to answer them if they are prayers for his glory. David prays for the Lord’s goodness in his life and goes on to acknowledge all the ways the Lord is good: He is good and upright, he instructs sinners in the way, he leads the humble in what is right, he gives steadfast love and faithfulness. David’s prayer for God to pardon his guilt is for the sole reason of God’s name being glorified in it. When we pray for things, if we cannot pray them for God’s name to be magnified, they ought not be prayed. The great God of heaven and the creator of all things can be known to us as a friend if we live in reverence and awe for who he is. David ends this psalm by praying for God’s protection against enemies from without and the enemy within, his flesh, which tries to pull him away from the Lord. The man who would be godly is the man who would be praying at all times for God to make him godly, knowing all the while that nothing within himself can earn the love of God. Jesus says in John 15:5 that apart from him we can do nothing. Let us never get to a point where we think we have earned what God has given us in grace, but let us always remember who we were and know that God has given us grace despite our sins. When we live in light of the sinless Son of God crucified for sinful people, we can live in joy and faith knowing that whatever God wants from our lives only he can produce. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good." (Mere Christianity)
“Of David. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.”
In this psalm David seems to be constantly putting his faith in God and praying that God would save him from his enemies. David was a man after God’s own heart and so he obviously had plenty of enemies that were seeking his life oftentimes. David begins the psalm by declaring that he will only lift his soul to/ put his trust in the Lord. We too often lift the deep cries and distresses of our souls to close friends and family while totally neglecting the One who cares most about our souls. We can learn from David here that our souls ought first to seek refuge in our God before they seek refuge in man. How often do you pray when temptations and trials are around you? We are told to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17)! David declares to God that his faith will be shameful if it is in a god who cannot save and so he prays for God to rescue him from his enemies thus proving God’s power. Just after David prays that he would not be put to shame, he backs it up with the promise that nobody who has faith in God will in the end be put to shame. This ought to be uplifting to our faith. Whenever we encounter trials and temptations that seem to difficult and pray for the Lord to help us, we can know that he will never allow our faith to go unseen. It is only those who put their faith in things other than God who will be ashamed in the end. David is a man crying out for more godliness in his life and I think that is the reason God used him so much. This psalm is like a constant cry of faith in God and it seems to always turn its focus back to him in all circumstances. David says he waits for the Lord all the day long and I think we can learn from this. We often pray for a week and give up when we don’t see results, but David is constantly trusting the Lord to help no matter how long it takes. The length of time it takes for God to answer our prayers ought not nullify our faith for him to answer them if they are prayers for his glory. David prays for the Lord’s goodness in his life and goes on to acknowledge all the ways the Lord is good: He is good and upright, he instructs sinners in the way, he leads the humble in what is right, he gives steadfast love and faithfulness. David’s prayer for God to pardon his guilt is for the sole reason of God’s name being glorified in it. When we pray for things, if we cannot pray them for God’s name to be magnified, they ought not be prayed. The great God of heaven and the creator of all things can be known to us as a friend if we live in reverence and awe for who he is. David ends this psalm by praying for God’s protection against enemies from without and the enemy within, his flesh, which tries to pull him away from the Lord. The man who would be godly is the man who would be praying at all times for God to make him godly, knowing all the while that nothing within himself can earn the love of God. Jesus says in John 15:5 that apart from him we can do nothing. Let us never get to a point where we think we have earned what God has given us in grace, but let us always remember who we were and know that God has given us grace despite our sins. When we live in light of the sinless Son of God crucified for sinful people, we can live in joy and faith knowing that whatever God wants from our lives only he can produce. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good." (Mere Christianity)
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