Journey to Jerusalem Day 9

Thursday, February 25 Psalm 25:16-22
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 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.

Have you ever been living your life feeling safe and content with the Lord? Then something happens that disrupts your faith and makes you feel troubled. There might be other people involved, someone may be angry with you; or increasing turmoil in our society is causing you to feel anxious.

You begin to wonder if maybe you are the problem. Sins of the past begin to darken your thoughts; you wonder if maybe you are sinning now or have done something to displease God.

In this Psalm, David is crying out to the Lord, and it seems he is feeling the same way. He is lonely, distressed, and troubled. There are enemies that hate him, and he is overwhelmed.

David lived many years as a shepherd boy learning to rely on God and to have confidence in Him, yet he is still plagued by these thoughts and feelings.

David learned to find peace by not continuing to dwell on how he felt. He cried out to the Lord for help and his prayers were specific, “…Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you…” (v. 20) Repeatedly in scripture we see God guiding and rescuing David. David learns that the answers to the problems he can’t control, as well as the remedy for his own sins, is to cry out to the One who can help him.

This is God’s pattern for us as well. When things around us seem impossible, when fear and loneliness are hanging on like a suffocating coat, we can cry out to God and He will rescue us.

Father, thank you for the example we have in David—a sinful yet repentant man who learned to trust fully in You.
Amen.