Psalm 25:1-3 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 25:1-3 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.
Devotion
Psalm 25 begins with a petition. “Help me!” the psalmist seems to be pleading. “Do not let me be put to shame” (v. 2). Of course, there is no harm in praying for oneself. Often our own needs or those of someone close to us are what move us to reach out to God in prayer. So the psalmist begins with a petition for himself. Then, after a couple of sentences, his world opens up. Petition becomes intercession. Singular shifts to plural. The plea changes as the one praying finds a bigger dream, a bolder prayer: “Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame” (v. 3).
Prayer
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Come to the aid of all who wait for you. Amen.