Psalm 25
Psalm 25
really does read much like a conversation with God. In fact, Psalm 25 reads like an incredible
prayer. Let’s follow through the thought
progression of David as he writes the words of this psalm down.
First, he
reminds himself that he ascribes his soul to God. David acknowledges that God is the author of
His life. It is in God that David
trusts.
This moves
us to a request. Having reminded himself
about giving himself to God, he asks God to make him know God’s ways. This section of the psalm is profound. Notice that David doesn’t say, “I can learn
your ways.” David doesn’t even say, “I
can learn your ways with your help.” No,
David says, “Make me do it, Lord.” In
other words, David knows he can’t do it.
David asks God to make it happen. This is a great line for spiritual
accountability and humble repentance. In
a few short words David confesses that he can’t do it and he would rather have
what he cannot do than what worldly things he can accomplish on his own. That’s what it looks like to be a man after
God’s own heart right there.
Then we
get an entreaty. Since David cannot do
it on his own, he is reminded just how much he needs to rely upon God’s grace
and mercy. David asks God to remember
love and forgiveness, because it is only through those characteristics that
David can know salvation and a genuine relationship with God.
Then we
have a moment where prayer turns into evangelism. After asking for God to remember grace and
forgiveness, David is no longer talking with God as the assumed audience. Now David speaks to us. He tells us about the character of God. God is good and upright. God instructs the sinners. God loves the humble. God loves those who fear Him. This is how it should be. When we come to God at any point in our life
and remember our salvation and forgiveness, we should genuinely desire to tell
others about it.
Psalm 25
is a wonderful snapshot of how confession leads to genuine prayer. Prayer leads to genuine relationship. Relationship leads to genuine evangelism.
Psalm 26
Psalm 26
is a psalm of pleading. David is in a
low place in his life. Opponents have once again come beside him to attack and
challenge him. He is in a place where he
knows that the only true way out is to genuinely trust on God’s provision.
I want to
stop there for a second and run through that thought again. In all things human beings can choose. We can choose to trust in God’s provision or
we can try to do it our way. Sometimes our way gets us out of the current
situation and we feel successful. But is
it good? When we turn from God and have
success on our own, is it ever a good thing?
Does not my success apart from God only fuel a belief inside of me that
I do not need God’s ways?
If this is
true, then why would I ever seek to do something on my own? This is really a fundamental point with
humanity. Human beings – even down to
the 1 year olds among us! – enjoy doing things on our own power first. We are inherently the self-monger. We don’t’ desire to trust in God. We don’t desire to do it His way and with His
power.
But that
is the only way that leads to a satisfying end.
I’ve already shown the danger of the moments when we do manage to feel
success apart from God. Why would we
ever want to go there? No, David knows
the answer. The only real answer is to
deny the self and trust in God’s salvation.
His way out is really the only way out that we should desire. I don’t know about you, though. I could really stand to learn a lot better
about doing things God’s way first rather than lean on my own understanding.
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