Slices
Prepare
Sunday, the first day of the week, is ‘resurrection day’. Thank God for your experiences of new life in Jesus in this past week.
Bible passage
Of David.
1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Saviour,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, Lord, is in you.
22 Deliver Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!
Explore
The psalms are the Bible’s primer in prayer. They scale the heights of praise and plumb the depths of human experience, often without pausing for breath. Psalm 25 is a prime example.
Apart from the brief mention of ‘enemies’ in verse 2, the first part of the psalm is taken up with a thirst to know God better (vs 4,5), and with strong affirmations of his goodness and love. He is the Saviour (v 5), merciful and loving (v 6), good and upright (v 8), the giver of prosperity (v 13) and revelation (v 14).
And then the twist.
This high praise of God’s goodness comes from someone who is in a very painful and vulnerable place. He is lonely (v 16), in anguish and inner turmoil (v 17) and facing enemies who are putting his very life at risk (vs 19,20).
Very often prayer happens at the interface of pain and praise. With eyes fixed on the goodness of God (v 15), we lay our despair before him, because only if we still believe he is worthy of our praise can we cry out, ‘I trust in you … my hope, Lord, is in you’ (vs 2,21).
Respond
Do you know anyone who is ‘alone’ or even ‘in deep distress’ (v 16)? Pray for them and ask God to show you how you could be an encouragement to them this week.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 31,32; Acts 1
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks that more children have attended the SU Ghana camps this year than ever before and pray that each child who attended will continue to know God’s love. Pray too for the provision of sites for future camps – an increasing challenge – and for funding to develop a multipurpose hall as part of the first phase of their campsite project.
