(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Psalm 25:1-22) To You, Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 My God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies rejoice over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithfulness,
For they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoings;
Remember me according to Your faithfulness,
For Your goodness’ sake, Lord.
8 The Lord is good and upright;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are faithfulness and truth
To those who comply with His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For the sake of Your name, Lord,
Forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great.
12 Who is the person who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul will dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.
15 My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will rescue my feet from the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
18 Look at my misery and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Look at my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and save me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness protect me,
For I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, God,
From all his distress.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
2 My God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies rejoice over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithfulness,
For they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoings;
Remember me according to Your faithfulness,
For Your goodness’ sake, Lord.
8 The Lord is good and upright;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are faithfulness and truth
To those who comply with His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For the sake of Your name, Lord,
Forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great.
12 Who is the person who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul will dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He will make them know His covenant.
15 My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will rescue my feet from the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
18 Look at my misery and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Look at my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and save me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness protect me,
For I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, God,
From all his distress.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
There are times we might feel shaken or ashamed for being a Christian, but here is a beautiful picture of what God's salvation and grace is. Even as David was writing this and proclaiming his trust in the Lord, David confessed how much he still needed God... as well as how much he wanted His help and guidance for everything. He understood that there is absolutely no shame in this! And THIS is what kept him steadfast!
As Christians, we will still sin, even though we don't want to. And we will still stray from the path of righteousness, but God's grace covers us and protects us from eternal death. Our salvation is secure. And God's faithfulness and truth will get us back on track.
If we trust God, then we will understand that when He tells us to do something or don't do something, there's a very good reason. A simple analogy for "lack of trust" could be - if God told us not to drink the poison, but we chose to drink the poison anyway, and while writhing in pain, we wondered why God wasn't there for us. Well... we would be very wrong in thinking that. He was there! He told us not to drink the poison!!!
God teaches and leads the humble who fear Him and obey His commandments. As we obey, God will work in our lives. As we see God's goodness and faithfulness, we will learn to trust Him more. When we trust Him more, we will see more value in our obedience, then we will see more of God's goodness and faithfulness... So we can see how God is able to teach us when we comply.
There is untold value in studying the Bible, which teaches us and gives us head-knowledge of God's truth. And then there is the experiential knowledge that we gain when we obey - putting into practice what we have studied in God's word - and then seeing God's blessings as a result. Obedience demonstrates our trust in the Lord!
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