Daily Devotion – February 16, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
Psalm 25:1-10
25:1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
25:2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
25:3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
25:5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
25:6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
25:7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
If you have ever been in a situation where competing values or principles or interests are at stake, where passionate folks are at odds and having trouble coming to terms, and if you have ever come away from an argument or other hostilities really wondering who IS right in such a situation, this is a great psalm for you. You will recognize in the psalmist here the desire to learn what God’s ways are, which path is the faithful path, which end result will help neither you nor you God be put to shame.
Many ways, many paths can look right. Many ways, many paths can certainly be attractive. Many ways, many paths might get you the praise of your neighbors or friends. But in this psalm, the person caught up in the dilemma has come away to pray, to lift up her/his soul to the Lord. In so doing the psalmist lays everything at the Lord’s feet. If God is our be-all and end-all, go-to source of wisdom, this is the moment the psalmist is open to that wisdom, no matter what it says.
Praying this psalm, we are asking for God’s truth along with God’s mercy. We are saying we have made mistakes, but God will overlook them as we take God’s direction at this time in this situation. Praying this psalm, we are promising to be humble enough to do whatever God asks of us. Why? Because God has made promises to us to always walk with us, and we are in covenant with God to keep God’s decrees. Fortunately this God that we are covenanted with, this God is steadfast and faithful to us, more than we have ever been to God. And God is patient with us in our failings.
When we are confused or whirled about amid competing values or desires, if we place ourselves apart and humbly open ourselves to God’s teaching, we will be taught. Are we teachable? God makes us so.
Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being faithfully in covenant with us often-failing human beings. Help us to humbly ask you to guide our footsteps on your preferred path. Amen.
