Psalm Twenty-Five: The Ways of the Lord

Psalm 25

In you, Lord my God,

    I put my trust.

I trust in you;

    do not let me be put to shame,

    nor let my enemies triumph over me.

 

No one who hopes in you

    will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those

    who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, Lord,

    teach me your paths.

 

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

    for you are God my Savior,

    and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,

    for they are from of old. 

Do not remember the sins of my youth

    and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

    for you, Lord, are good.

Good and upright is the Lord;

    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right

    and teaches them his way.

 

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful

    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

 

For the sake of your name, Lord,

    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?

    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

 

They will spend their days in prosperity,

    and their descendants will inherit the land.

 

The Lord confides in those who fear him;

    he makes his covenant known to them.

 

My eyes are ever on the Lord,

    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

    for I am lonely and afflicted.

 

Relieve the troubles of my heart

    and free me from my anguish.

 

Look on my affliction and my distress

    and take away all my sins.

 

See how numerous are my enemies

    and how fiercely they hate me!

Guard my life and rescue me;

    do not let me be put to shame,

    for I take refuge in you.

 

May integrity and uprightness protect me,

    because my hope, Lord, is in you.

Deliver Israel, O God,

    from all their troubles!

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There are three actions that David describes here that I want you to explore with me. The first is found in verse four. David says, "Show me your ways, Lord". We all need this, we need to be shown the ways of God. We see the ways of the Lord in Scripture. As we daily read God's Word, we encounter his ways. Next, David says, "Teach me your paths". It is not enough to just read God's Word, we have to walk along his path, we have to walk according to his Word. This can seem really challenging and hard when we are at school or with our friends, but before you get overwhelmed, look at the next action. David says, "Guide me in your truth". We are not walking this alone! God is our teacher and our guide. As you read Scripture, ask the Lord to help you be not only a hearer of the Word, but a doer of the Word (James 1:22-25).

What stood out to you in this Psalm?

How are you being not only a hearer of the Word, but a doer?