Scripture Saturday ; )

A friend of mine suggested I read this Psalm and it is indeed very beautiful.

Psalm 25 

Of David.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust;

let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

according to your steadfast love remember me,

for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

For your name's sake, O Lord,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

His soul shall abide in well-being,

and his offspring shall inherit the land.

The friendship(or secret counsel) of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant.

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

bring me out of my distresses.

Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

Consider how many are my foes,

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!

Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you.

Redeem Israel, O God,

out of all his troubles.

A few things stood out to me. 

"For you I wait all the day long." I had to ask myself, "Do I wait for Him all the day long?" And in being totally honest with myself, I don't. It's more like I take the time to make my requests to Him, but I don't take any time to listen. That was convicting. I need to take the time to hear from the Lord. Listening is much more important than talking. Why else did God give us two ears and one mouth?

So, how am I going to make listening for Him a priority? Well, the obvious answer is to find time to be still. Where can I get some extra time alone? In the morning. Instead of sleeping 9+ hours at night, I can do with less.

"Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old." From of old. When I read the Old Testament and the New, God seems to be different. I don't picture Him being Merciful and full of steadfast love in the Old Testament. Oh, He is, but I guess how He had to deal with His people before Christ made the sacrifice makes it seem this way. God doesn't change and hasn't changed. Ever. And this statement made by David confirms it. God has always been how He is now. What a comfort.

"All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies." God has not made life complicated. It is not difficult to understand what God expects from us. Sometimes it can be difficult to surrender, but even that is made easier when one thinks about the alternative. I bless God because He desires our lives to be blessed and He has made the path to that blessing quite straightforward.

"Who is the man who fears the Lord?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

His soul shall abide in well-being,

and his offspring shall inherit the land.

The friendship(or secret counsel) of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant." More about the blessing of following the Lord's path. "The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him". WOW! That just blows me away.

"May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you." And there it is again, waiting for the Lord. And I have heard that this is to be an active waiting. To be about the Lord's work that has been revealed in Scripture as you wait for another part of His will to be revealed to you. So often I just want to sit back and wait for God to do something. It doesn't *always* work that way. So much of His will has already been revealed. Do what you know to do. His will for your individual life will become apparent as you obey Him.

Well, friend, thanks for the suggestion. I haven't had such good Bible study in a while : )


PS "Scripture Saturday" is not necessarily a new fixture to my blog. Just for today.