May 8, 2023 — Psalm 25 

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.” Psalm 25:1-10 

“The 25th psalm is a psalm of prayer in which the righteous pray that God will make them godly, forgive their sins, guard them from sin and shame, and finally deliver them from all enemies and all evil. Along with this the psalm mocks the false, self-centered spirits and teachers.” (Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther) 

When was the last time something you did, or said, got you into a lot of trouble? Your first thought was to ask G-d for help and guidance but perhaps you were too ashamed of your sin. Or maybe your problems were not due to deliberate sin, but rather because of immaturity or stupid decisions. Sometimes, even though we have prayed for guidance and wisdom, we still have to face the facts that what we have done is hurtful — and sometimes hurtful beyond measure. What should you do at such times? 

Psalm 25 teaches us to seek G-d and G-d’s forgiveness in such times: “Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!” It appears that the book of James 1:5-6 might also give us some guidance: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” This is what the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 25: “All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.” 

We should not live in fear of the Lord’s presence thinking we will be punished for sin — but instead seek the Lord’s presence and guidance putting all faith in a G-d who is forgetful of our past sins and promises forgiveness for those who love and obey the Lord. And then we may have the strength to ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt.

Prayer: O Lord, our most merciful Father in heaven, be gracious to us and forgive us our sins. Rule in our hearts by Your Spirit, that we may hate and forsake all manner of evil. Restrain our enemies who would deprive us of our salvation, and be to us, and Your whole Church on earth, a very present help in time of need. Amen. 

Pastor Dave