Psalm 25
This Psalm by King David is a prayer for God?s merciful protection and guidance. David especially asks God to bless those who are lead by His holy Word.
In section one of this prayer (verses 1 to 3), David directs his soul away from all earthly desires and affections towards the true God, with a fervent longing for His salvation. David declares his firm trust in God, for God does not lie. He asks that he not be “ashamed,” that is, disappointed in his trust in God. In this world, it seems as if God’s enemies seem to triumph over the believer, jeering at his foolish trust in God and His Word. David prays that God would show to all who patiently wait in prayer for God to deliver them the blessings He has promised. He further prays that those who persecute believers without a just cause out of pure wickedness be disappointed and all their vain hopes for triumph be dashed to the ground.
The next two verses (4 and 5), is a prayer that God instruct believers in His ways. God’s ways are often hidden from men’s eyes, because His ways and paths are full of mercy and forgiveness, which the world rejects. Only God can teach us His merciful ways of salvation and lead us into truth. Only God is the source of all truth. When troubles come upon the believer, he is to trust in God’s deliverance, rely on Christ’s salvation, and wait for God to bring all good things to pass, as He has promised.
Section three (verses 6 and 7) calls upon God to be merciful. Dealing with trials, it often seems as if God has forgotten His mercy. Christians can rightly ask God to remember His lovingkindness and forgiveness, which are God’s attributes from eternity. David asks God to forget the many sins of his youth, which often burden the conscience during adult years. This request is not based on David’s “goodness,” but on God’s mercy, that is, the unmerited favor of God in Christ Jesus, the Messiah, who gave His life for those sins.
The next section (verses 8 to 11) praises God for all that He gives to sinners. In spite of trials, believers are to trust that God is good and just, acting according to His promises. God “teaches sinners” about His way of salvation in Christ that brings forgiveness of all sins. The humble are those who confess their sinfulness to God, who will teach them of His justice—how the Messiah kept the law and died for sin. No matter what troubles come, God’s children trusts that God’s ways are full of mercy and truth to those who are guided by His Word and trust in Christ’s work of salvation. Because of His promises, we can trust that God will pardon our iniquity and sin, even though it is great.
Verses 12 to 15 speak about the believer’s reaction to God’s mercy. God shall teach him to do what is right. His soul will dwell in God’s prosperity amid the wastes of the world and he rules the world through prayer. Through His Word God shows believers the secrets of His covenant of grace and forgiveness. Therefore believers constantly turn to God in prayer.