Psalm 25

Read Psalm 25

“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” David lived in relationship with God. He trusted the Lord. He asked God to protect him from his enemies and he believed that the Lord would hear him and help him. David did not believe that God's favor was only for him. “None who wait for You shall be put to shame.” Yet he was also aware that there were those around him who were “wantonly treacherous” and that their destiny would be very different from those who feared God.

David knew God already, but he was not content to stay as he was. He understood that God would have to lead him in his desire to know and love the Lord more and more. David called this posture of seeking spiritual progress from above “waiting.” He wrote, “For You I wait all the day long.”

As David trusted God to direct him, he asked the Lord to remember certain things and to forget others. He wanted the Lord to remember His own divine mercy—His faithful covenant love, and to forget David's sins, especially the sins of his youth. He knew that God's own love and goodness would be the foundation for further blessing in his experience of communion.

God chose David to be a man who not only knew these truths, but also experienced them and taught others to do the same. He understood that true waiting upon God required humility and obedience. The benefits of sincere dedication to the Almighty were substantial. David believed that the man who feared the Lord would “abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.”

We might imagine that a person who had such a solid faith as this would live an entirely peaceful life. Apparently not. Even the Messiah, who lived the perfect life of trusting His Father in heaven, was still known by the title, “Man of Sorrows.” All who desire sincere fellowship with the Lord should not be surprised when they, like David and Jesus, are “lonely and afflicted.”

Yet there is an important difference between the spiritual experience of the Messiah and everyone else who follows Him. While He shared our sorrows and even took our sins upon Himself, He was entirely without sin. Our integrity is at best partial. His was perfect. He has redeemed us out of every tribulation.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

O Lord God, do not let us be put to shame. Lead us in the way of Your Word. We wait for You. We love Your mercy and Your covenant faithfulness. We humble ourselves before You, because of our sin and because of Your greatness. Teach us Your truth. We follow the Man of Righteousness. He has obeyed You perfectly, and has delivered us from the worst trouble. We take refuge in You, O Lord. You will redeem the church from all her troubles.