Hope Unswervingly

Read Psalm 25, especially focusing on verses 16-22. David closes this Psalm with heartfelt words, speaking all the things He needs from God at this time. This is exactly what God wants of us. We have declared our trust and are living it out by keeping our eyes on God. Now ask. Speak to God from the depths of your being and tell Him what you long for. I often find that when I’m hurting the most, words don’t come very easily. However, reading the Psalms as prayers often express exactly what I’m feeling. Verses 16-22 give a wonderful example if you don’t know where to start. I am alone. (v. 16) Our distress can leave us in a dark and empty place, feeling like there is absolutely no one to whom we can turn. Acknowledge this feeling and remember that God does not EVER leave us alone. Bring me out of my sufferings. (v. 17) We’ve already mentioned that the Christian life does not prevent suffering, but that God always provides a way through it. Look to Him for the solution. Take away ...

Read Psalm 25:12-15 Much of the waiting process has to do with learning where your focus needs to be. If we focus on what we don’t have or don’t yet know, we lose out on so much of what God has for us right now. These verses of Psalm 25 remind us of the benefits of keeping our eyes focused on God. The one who lives in worshipful submission to God Almighty will be given direction in life (v. 12) Our human understanding does not give us a complete or accurate picture of what it will take to get to the end result of our waiting, but God does know that picture. If we stay focused on Him, we will receive His guidance as we navigate this unfamiliar road. I’m one who likes to travel with a map in her lap. I enjoy looking ahead at the route, knowing the final destination, and marking off the cities and landmarks we go by on the way there. I am less enamored with a GPS that only shows me the next turn I’ll need to make. I guess that requires a lot more trust in the device than I tend to hav...

Read Psalm 25:1-5 Psalm 25 is a prayer of one who waits for the Lord. If we break it down, we will see a basic pattern for prayer that will help us to pray effectively in times of waiting, much like the Lord’s Prayer teaches us a pattern to use in our daily prayer time. David starts out by declaring his dependence on God. Verses 1-5 state that he trusts God and turns to Him for what he’s waiting for. That kind of trust will not disappoint, but misplaced trust will cause problems. On top of this basic declaration of trust, David pleads for understanding and guidance to teach him along the way. Putting these verses in more blunt language of today, it might read “Lord, I know I can trust you. Don’t prove me wrong.” This is an excellent place to start our prayers. When we declare our faith in God, even when we don’t feel it so completely, we put our focus in the right place. The solution to our problem or situation will not come from somewhere else; it will come from God. God wants t...

“I don’t know what to do!” My sister and I would start to make this comment (usually with a whiny voice) during summer vacation from school as soon as the initial novelty of “free time” wore off. My mother would often list off some ideas – some fun, and some work – and we would consider whether each idea was the one we would choose. Eventually, if she didn’t say something we wanted to do, we would decide to go figure it out ourselves - much to Mom’s pleasure, I’m sure. We can easily get caught up in figuring out God’s specific instructions to us in a particular situation. We ask, “What should I do, Lord?” But when we don’t hear a specific answer, this can paralyze us. I don’t know what to do so I won’t do anything yet.   Satan can put thoughts in our head like these: ·          God doesn’t care about me or He would answer. ·          There must be something wrong with me that I can’t hear from G...