God Speaks
25 A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, I give my life to you.
2 I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
11 For the honor of your name, O Lord,
forgive my many, many sins.
12 Who are those who fear the Lord?
He will show them the path they should choose.
13 They will live in prosperity,
and their children will inherit the land.
14 The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
He teaches them his covenant.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.
16 Turn to me and have mercy,
for I am alone and in deep distress.
17 My problems go from bad to worse.
Oh, save me from them all!
18 Feel my pain and see my trouble.
Forgive all my sins.
19 See how many enemies I have
and how viciously they hate me!
20 Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
21 May integrity and honesty protect me,
for I put my hope in you.
22 O God, ransom Israel
from all its troubles.
26 A psalm of David.
1 Declare me innocent, O Lord,
for I have acted with integrity;
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
Test my motives and my heart.
3 For I am always aware of your unfailing love,
and I have lived according to your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars
or go along with hypocrites.
5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,
and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
I come to your altar, O Lord,
7 singing a song of thanksgiving
and telling of all your wonders.
8 I love your sanctuary, Lord,
the place where your glorious presence dwells.
9 Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners.
Don’t condemn me along with murderers.
10 Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,
and they constantly take bribes.
11 But I am not like that; I live with integrity.
So redeem me and show me mercy.
12 Now I stand on solid ground,
and I will publicly praise the Lord.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalms 25 and 26 will be considered together. This author has chosen to “prayer-a-phrase” them rather than comment on them. This makes them a personal, intimate communication between Almighty God and his human creation. Psalm 25 is applicable to a wide variety of situations. One such application might be anyone who is trusting God while facing enemy opposition whether it is war, persecution, disaster, disease, emotional distress, or spiritual oppression. [While writing this blog post, the author kept in mind a Ukrainian refugee aid worker who has been kidnapped while serving others when Russia attacked Ukraine.] Psalm 26: Jesus Christ is the only person who, being the perfect God-man, could perfectly fulfill this psalm; however, those who trust Him alone for rescue from hell (a miserable eternity apart from the most loving person–God) can gratefully claim both His substitutionary suffering and death and His innocence and integrity.
Prayer: Psalm 25: “O LORD, I give my life to You. I trust in You, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. [I affirm that] no one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive [or harm] others. Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my trust in You. Remember [activate], O LORD, Your compassion and unfailing love, which You have shown from long ages past. Do not remember [hold against me] the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember [think of] me in light of Your unfailing love, for You are merciful, O LORD. [You, LORD are] good and [always do] what is right; [You show] the proper path to those who go astray. [You lead] the humble in doing right, teaching them [Your] way. [You, LORD lead] with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep [Your] covenant and obey [Your] demands. For the honor of Your name, O LORD, forgive my many, many sins. Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land. [You, LORD, are] a friend to those who fear [You]. [You teach] them [Your] covenant. My eyes are always on the LORD, for He rescues me from the traps of my enemies. Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins. See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in You I take refuge. May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in You. O God, ransom Israel from all its troubles.”* Relying on Your great, unfailing love, O LORD. AMEN
Psalm 26: Declare me innocent, O LORD, [not for my sake, but for Jesus’s] for He acted in integrity [on my behalf]. I have trusted in Him; help me not to waver. He was put on trial and His motives and sincerity were questioned. Holy Spirit, please make me always aware of Your unfailing love, and help me to live according to Your truth. Don’t let me waste my time with liars or go along with hypocrites. May I hate the gatherings of those who do evil and refuse to join in with the wicked. Wash me with the blood of Christ so that I can be declared innocent. May I come to Your altar, O LORD, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all Your wonders. I love Your sanctuary, LORD, the place where Your glorious presence dwells. Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners (even though I have been one). Don’t condemn me along with murderers (even though I deserve such condemnation). In the past, my hands were dirty with evil schemes; I have taken bribes. But because of what You have done for me, Jesus, I am not like that anymore. You have redeemed me and shown me mercy, Now I can stand on solid ground (the Rock), and I will publicly praise the LORD. * Praise Your name forever, Jesus. AMEN
*Based on Psalms 25 and 26 from the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 2019
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will use the prayer-a-phrase of Psalm 25 to pray for myself or others when we are in distress.
- I will ask a stranger if I could pray for them, then use Psalm 25.
- I will seek to live in accordance with the truths of Psalm 26.
- I will thank the Lord Jesus for how He lived and died and rose again and continually prays for me so that I can experience His redemption and mercy.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.