Psalm 25
Today's Passage: Psalm 25
As I look at Psalm 25, I’m reminded why I love the Psalms. Many psalms like this one are like a rose. On the surface they are beautiful and worthy of our attention, but as we get closer and look inside we see a wonderful combination of beauty and design.
Psalm 25 is an amazing prayer to the Lord for instruction, forgiveness, and meditation on the character of God. David wrote this psalm as an acrostic poem where each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
David’s prayer began with a proclamation—“I lift up my soul…in you I trust.” He then made a petition—“let me not be put to shame, let not my enemies exult over me.” Then, David affirmed his trust, “Indeed, none who wait for the Lord shall be put to shame…”
As the David’s prayer continues, notice the petitions and affirmations that he makes in support of the initial two-part proclamation. He petitions the Lord for spiritual growth, mercy, forgiveness, deliverance, etc. Honestly, this part of his prayer is probably a more eloquent version of the prayers many of us pray frequently. What I question, however, is how much time we spend affirming God’s character as we make our petitions known to him?
Everything David said and requested was rooted in the character of God. David knew God and understood his heart. I think sometimes our prayers look a little more like a child who begs his parent for a candy bar, appealing to their sense of, “You want me to be happy, right?” David’s prayer wasn’t about his own satisfaction. It was personal, but it aligned with God’s character, plan, and program in the world. David expressed his needs, but he prayed that as God met those needs that God would be glorified and that God’s name would be magnified. It seems, even, that David was more concerned with God’s glory than God actually saying, “yes” to his prayer—especially as David prayed, “For I wait for you” (21).
I would encourage you today to look back through this Psalm and pray it back to God. My version of the Bible has this chapter broken up in sets of 2–3 verses. Take a section at a time and pray through it. As you read David’s petitions to the Lord, ask yourself what similar requests do you have in your own life? As you read David’s affirmations of the Lord’s character, ask yourself if your heart and life align with these truths about God? Like David, we may need to confess the areas that don’t line up and appeal to God’s mercy to help us grow.
Let us know in the comments what God taught you through this passage.
Written By: Tyler Short
As I look at Psalm 25, I’m reminded why I love the Psalms. Many psalms like this one are like a rose. On the surface they are beautiful and worthy of our attention, but as we get closer and look inside we see a wonderful combination of beauty and design.
Psalm 25 is an amazing prayer to the Lord for instruction, forgiveness, and meditation on the character of God. David wrote this psalm as an acrostic poem where each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
David’s prayer began with a proclamation—“I lift up my soul…in you I trust.” He then made a petition—“let me not be put to shame, let not my enemies exult over me.” Then, David affirmed his trust, “Indeed, none who wait for the Lord shall be put to shame…”
As the David’s prayer continues, notice the petitions and affirmations that he makes in support of the initial two-part proclamation. He petitions the Lord for spiritual growth, mercy, forgiveness, deliverance, etc. Honestly, this part of his prayer is probably a more eloquent version of the prayers many of us pray frequently. What I question, however, is how much time we spend affirming God’s character as we make our petitions known to him?
Everything David said and requested was rooted in the character of God. David knew God and understood his heart. I think sometimes our prayers look a little more like a child who begs his parent for a candy bar, appealing to their sense of, “You want me to be happy, right?” David’s prayer wasn’t about his own satisfaction. It was personal, but it aligned with God’s character, plan, and program in the world. David expressed his needs, but he prayed that as God met those needs that God would be glorified and that God’s name would be magnified. It seems, even, that David was more concerned with God’s glory than God actually saying, “yes” to his prayer—especially as David prayed, “For I wait for you” (21).
I would encourage you today to look back through this Psalm and pray it back to God. My version of the Bible has this chapter broken up in sets of 2–3 verses. Take a section at a time and pray through it. As you read David’s petitions to the Lord, ask yourself what similar requests do you have in your own life? As you read David’s affirmations of the Lord’s character, ask yourself if your heart and life align with these truths about God? Like David, we may need to confess the areas that don’t line up and appeal to God’s mercy to help us grow.
Let us know in the comments what God taught you through this passage.
Written By: Tyler Short
1 Comment
I pray that my life aligns with God's will and this passage is one that I love and need to pray more often!