START WITH SCRIPTURE:
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OBSERVE:
This Psalm, attributed to David, addresses the issues that a warrior with a checkered past might wish to bring before God.
The first three verses are a statement of faith from a proud man who nonetheless understands that the Lord is the source of his strength:
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
This is a man whose enemies are not merely figurative, but openly and actively hostile.
He asks for wisdom and guidance in the ways of the Lord:
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 day long.
He reminds the Lord of his mercy and love that have been from of old. His faith is grounded in the history of Israel and Israel’s God.
But this is also a personal prayer. Without listing his sins, he asks for pardon based not on his own merit but on God’s mercy:
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
A quick survey of David’s life reveals a man of courage, action and loyalty, but also a man of violence whose sexual indiscretion and subsequent crimes nearly wrecked his life.
As we learn from 2 Samuel 11 & 12, David did repent, and was forgiven.
Finally, it seems fitting to close this particular reading with David’s description of God’s character and benevolence:
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 decrees.
This description of God’s love and faithfulness is conditional:
….for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Only those who keep God’s laws will be able to follow God’s paths.
APPLY:
This is a good model of prayer for the believer, especially in times of uncertainty and even danger.
We are reminded as we read this Psalm in Advent that this season was not originally intended to be merely a season of Christmas lights and early gift shopping.
Advent in the liturgical season was originally intended to be a kind of “Lenten” season. Just as Lent prepares us for the celebration of Easter resurrection by focusing on self-denial, self-examination and repentance, so Advent was intended to be a time of self-denial, self-examination and repentance in preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
What better way to prepare for the coming of Christ than to ask for instruction in God’s ways, God’s guidance, and forgiveness of sins?
All that David asks for is delivered in the person and teaching of Jesus. And as we pray this prayer, we find the same answers in Jesus.
RESPOND:
Back in the 1970’s when I was a very new Christian many Psalms were put to music and sung as praise songs in worship. I learned this Psalm first as a praise song and then taught it to my fellow church members when we went on a mission trip to a Heifer Project site near Puebla, Mexico.
[Click here to listen to “Unto Thee, O Lord” on youtube.com]
It was a reminder that I can repent because of the great mercy of God. I am to trust God in all circumstances. I can seek his guidance above all else. Although I am accepted by God’s grace for the sake of God’s steadfast love, my growth in grace is conditional on my keeping the demands of the covenant. And the only way that I can keep God’s commands is with his help:
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation.
Lord, hear this Psalm as my prayer to you – to trust you, to seek your mercy, your guidance, and to become more faithful to your covenant. Amen
PHOTOS: "His way {explored}" by Charlotte Tai is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
SOAR Lectionary Bible Study 