Psalm 25:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 25:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Verse 2O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
Verse 3Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Verse 4Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Verse 5Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
Verse 6Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Verse 7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O Lord!
Verse 8Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
Verse 9He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
Devotion
In this psalm there not only seems to be the question of what God is asking, but also “God where are you?!” There appears to be trouble with enemies (v. 1-2), fear of shame (v. 3), a need for God’s direction v. 4-5), and also a challenge for God to remember that God promised to love God’s people (especially the psalmist, v 6). And yet, in-spite of a sense that God has been absent, there is a keen, intense feeling that God is just, that God keeps God’s promises to forgive, to guide, to teach, and to love always. Verse 10, (not included in this reading) sums it up I think, “All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness.” In this psalm God asks us to trust in God’s steady love.
Prayer
Loving God; sometimes we wonder where you are. Sometimes we feel alone. In those times you ask us to remember that the love seen in Jesus is a promise that you love us and will never leave us alone. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.