Psalm 25

Of David.

1^[a] To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O 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, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

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
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his 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 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.

19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

A few over the last few weeks, I’ve been drawn to Psalm 25, specifically verses 1-5. In general, this Psalm weaves themes of trust, humility, hope, forgiveness, and covenant. Below are some questions to ask yourself so that engage the text.

1.Verse 1 reads “to you I lift up my soul, in you I trust.” For some of us, trust is a hard thing to do. Maybe we’ve been let down or abandoned by close friends or family. Verse 3 says “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” Do you trust God to guide you and deliver you? If not, what do you think makes you not want to trust him?

2. Verses 4 and 5 are my favorite. They seem like cries to God, earnest requests for God to instruct them in their lives. David (the author of this Psalm) is actively seeking God’s guidance. Are you actively seeking God? Are you crying out to him for instruction? Remember, in everything, Jesus (and thus God) came to give us life, and that to the full!

3. In order for God to instruct us, the Psalm states that there are certain qualities that we need to possess: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way (v. 9)” and “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them (v. 14)”. In other words, if we want God to speak, we need to be willing to listen and not speak. When you pray, do you assume that you have all the answers and that God is going bless you no matter what? Or, do you come to God with your questions and concerns in search of an answer with a listening ear?

4. A few times David cries out to God for forgiveness. Is there something that you need to repent of and ask forgiveness for?

5. Lastly, the Psalmist makes a very exclusive statement: “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare” (v. 15). Do you trust God and God alone? Do you trust the Shepard to guide you? Or are you looking elsewhere for guidance, direction and salvation?