Psalm 25

 Psalm 25 – a Psalm of David

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.  

O my God, I trust in You; . . .

Show me Your ways, O LORD;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Remember, O LORD, 

Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,

for they are from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.

According to Your mercy remember me

for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD;

Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

The humble He guides in justice,

And the humble He teaches His way.

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth

to such as keep His covenant, and His testimonies.

For Your name’s sake, O LORD,

pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

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My Prayer

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.  

Not just today in this early morning, 

but permanently, forever.

I will lift up my heart and my soul 

to worship You.  

Oh, my God, I trust in You.  Show me Your ways, my Father; I’m human and sinful, so I truly can’t see Your paths or Your perfect ways of living on this fallen earth.  I’m blinded by the chaos of my “everydays.” 

Teach me Your paths, Father.  Give me Your light and order and make Your ways plain to me.  Please show me the path that I should walk in.  Enable me to see the way, if no more than the next step – and then when you show me - the next again. 

Direct me - my guide, walk by my side.

The night is so dark, and I know not the way.

Jesus, keep me secure when I stumble and fall.

I ask only Your hand guiding me, and that’s all.

Tomorrow is Yours.

Please lead me today.

Sow Righteousness

Hosea 10:12   The entire chapter of Hosea 10 shows how sinful the people of Israel had become.  It talks of them planting wickedness and reaping evil.  It speaks of idol worship and depending on themselves instead of God.

But there is one little section in that chapter that stood out in my mind.  Verse 12 gives them advice and a promise.  Hosea tells them:

Sow righteousness for yourselves,

    reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
    for it is time to seek the Lord,
until He comes and showers his righteousness on you.”

This verse says to “sow” with a view to righteousness.  Sowing takes effort if you have a result in mind.  If, without a thought, I just scatter the seeds of my days without thinking – I am tossing my efforts to nothing. 

The way we live – sow, in this world - affects other people.  It affects our own lives.  It affects creation.  And dare I say it – it affects even God.  

That’s a little hard to believe, but if what we do has no effect on Him, then why would He have banished Adam and Eve from the garden.  Why would He have cleansed the world with the flood?  Why would He have been willing to become a man, to lead us and bring us back to Him?

So, we’re told to sow righteousness – that is, to sow with righteousness as the seeds, and the knowledge of God's unfailing love as the fruit we will harvest after the plowing.

I believe that it’s time for the world to seek the Lord.  

It’s time for me to break up my own unplowed ground.  I was thinking that this scripture may be saying, "seek the Lord in a way you’ve never done before."  The unplowed ground is a new place – not your old garden bed.  The scripture goes on to say we are to keep doing that until He comes back to take us with Him. 

Then He will shower His godly righteousness upon us.

I want to “break up my own unplowed ground.”  

But I wonder what that will involve in the next season of my life.  

Maybe my Heavenly Father will say to me.

Look around my child, and see the world.
Look around my child and cry,
for effort lost and gardens dry.

Look around my child, MY strength apply.
Then plow and plant for righteousness
in unplowed ground - in emptiness.
Look up to Me and try.

 I was reading Psalm 91 today.  The entire Psalm is beautiful and meaningful, but I picked out phrases from it that struck me particularly.  I hope you will be blessed by reading them.  Although these excerpts are from the New International Translation, I loved my old King James reading as well.  You might want to read the entire Psalm in several translations.  I’d love to hear what you think, as you read about the protection from God, our Father and King. 

Thoughts from Psalm 91. 

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

“I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’”

“He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;”

“For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

(God is speaking about the one who loves Him)
“He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.”

_____

Dwelling in His shelter, the shelter of His love

Resting in His shadow, protection from above

 

He’s the Refuge that I run to – His feathers guard my heart.

The Father only, has the strength to save from Satan’s dart.

 

The enemy I battle, stains my thoughts, but my God cares.

He commands that angels lift me up – to assure me that He’s there.

 

He protects my mind from doubt and pain,

and when I call upon His name,

He’ll raise me up into His arms.

He’ll shelter me from Satan’s harm.

 

He’ll comfort me.  He’ll keep me safe,

in the fortress of His care.

Forever, will my Father hold me with His love,

and keep me there.