Deliver me oh Lord, for the waters have come into my soul..."

Psalm 25

25:1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer. 2
25:2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
25:3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted 3 and humiliated.
25:4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths! 4
25:5 Guide me into your truth 5 and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
25:6 Remember 6 your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner. 7
25:7 Do not hold against me 8 the sins of my youth 9 or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord! 10
25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; 11
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. 12
25:9 May he show 13 the humble what is right! 14
May he teach 15 the humble his way!
25:10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable 16
to those who follow the demands of his covenant. 17
25:11 For the sake of your reputation, 18 O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great. 19
25:12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live. 20
25:13 They experience his favor; 21
their descendants 22 inherit the land. 23
25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 24
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 25
25:15 I continually look to the Lord for help, 26
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net. 27
25:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone 28 and oppressed!
25:17 Deliver me from my distress; 29
rescue me from my suffering! 30
25:18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins! 31
25:19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me. 32
25:20 Protect me 33 and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you!
25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
25:22 O God, rescue 34 Israel
from all their distress! 35

The first thing that stands out at me in this psalm is the measure of contrast. Words of hope and despair are repeated constantly. Mercy (4 times) vs. ashamed (4 times), sin (3 times) vs. waiting (3 times). David's heart is in such agony, that he reverts every few verses from praising God, to begging for mercy and guidance. In the end though, it is the fate of Israel that remains persistently on his heart, for he knows that without God's guidance, he could never preserve his people and mantain their integrity. We too should follow his example, because we can do nothing if our hearts are not right with God. Even when we feel empty and worthless, I pray that our hearts realize that we need to be redeemed, not only for our peace, but because we cannot serve our brothers and sisters until we stand before the Lord unashamed. As leaders, if we cannot understand this, we have failed (albeit a failure that God is more than pleased to correct!).

David sees that the fate of his soul is in jepoardy. He is asking God to "lift up his soul", I believe because the weight of his sins is burdening it, and he needs our saviour to carry him. My soul has been in travail as of late, but like Christie reminded me, God wants to know even our sighs of distress. It is when we start to harden our hearts and find other "solutions" to our pain that the cracks in our frame of forgiveness start to emerge. May every one of you have a blessed final bible study, and an awesome grad night. Praise our Lord, for He IS worthy!