Read Psalm 25
Of David.
1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, Lord, is in you.
22 Deliver Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!
Go Deeper
We have already seen in the first 24 chapters the highs and lows that David has experienced throughout his life. Today, we read a lament of David where he recognizes the significance of his sin in light of a holy God. He confesses his sins and prays to God for forgiveness. David rightly recognizes the need to confess his sin to be healed (James 5:16).
We see him go through a progression as he prays and laments to God. He first expresses confident trust in the Lord and then a desire for guidance from the Lord, which stems from that trust. In verse 6, we see a transition to David’s desire for forgiveness based on God’s mercy and steadfast love. He then praises God for His goodness and mercy (v. 8-11). In verse 10, David says that “all the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep his covenant,” but you may well be wondering how God can be loving and faithful in a world filled with brokenness (see the last 12 months). That is where the gospel comes in: we can be in a personal relationship with God, which is expounded upon in verses 12-15. The word “prosperity” in verse 13 is referring to a soul resting at ease (KJV) or to abide in well-being (ESV). It is this idea of being in a close, intimate relationship with God that comes to us when the Holy Spirit comes to live within us as a result of our faith in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. We can rest at ease and spend our days in the prosperity of knowing God, which is far greater than any earthly riches (see Mark 10:29-30).
One thing to be learned through the reading of Psalms is that God is with us through the highs and lows of life. While our circumstances may change, we know that God is never changing. His love is steadfast. He is working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). While we may not see exactly how God has been at work or how He will turn earthly bad into eternal good, we can be confident in the Lord’s friendship as He rides with us through the deserts (Psalm 68:4b).
Questions
- Reflecting on the last 12 months, in what ways have you sensed the closeness of God?
- Do you fully trust God to deliver you through the desert? Why or why not?
- Are you regularly confessing sin? Reflect on the last week and ask God to uncover any unconfessed sin in your life. Bring it to your community this week.
did you know?
This psalm is an acrostic in the original Hebrew. While it is not a perfect acrostic, it was done to make the psalm memorable for the people of God as they went through their week.
1 thought on “Psalm 25”
David defines what dependence on God looks like in Psalm 25. In the first 3 verses, David turns, trusts, and waits on the Lord, confident that he would guide his paths. He knows God to be full of compassion, love and goodness, a covenant-keeping God. In his suffering David feels alone, afflicted and distressed from his enemies who violently hate him, yet he knows where to go for refuge & deliverance. Today, I will meditate on verse 14, desiring that sweet, satisfying companionship of the Lord. My posture before him will be reverence and worship. I will look for treasures he will reveal today.