Psalms 34, 146
Psalm 25 (RSV) I will Praise the Lord (and Seek Forgiveness)
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.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them 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 day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember 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 decrees.
For your name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who are they who fear the Lord?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.
They will abide in prosperity,
and their children shall possess the land.
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
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.
Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me out of my distress.
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.
O guard my life and deliver me;
do not let me 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 its troubles.
Devotion
Psalm 34, loaded with action verbs and suffused with affirmation and joy, stands as a manifesto of full-throated praise “…that shall continually be in my mouth” for He “…redeems his servants, saves those who are crushed in spirit…and before whom …the poor cry out.” I’m awed by the proclaiming trumpets, but wonder where I am in this triumphal parade.
Psalm 146 presents another verb-packed manifesto of praise for the Lord who “…upholds the cause of the oppressed…gives food to the hungry… sets the prisoners free…” Again, a resounding proclamation of what He has done, here in the social justice arena. Yet the “I” is evident only at the outset, “I will praise,” nothing is said about the impact on the writer.
Psalm 25: While the first two psalms were written in the third person, this, while a psalm of praise, is written in the first person, the “I” who has sinned: “…remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions, the I confessing to the Lord while relying on His mercy and forgiveness.” In you I trust…remember not the sins of my youth…you are good O Lord…O Lord, forgive my iniquity…take me from my anguish… I take refuge in thee.”
While moved by the unalloyed hymns of praise in psalms 34 and 146, I don’t feel present. But Psalm 25 combines three elements: Attributes of a merciful and loving God; my own sins in full display before God; and the underlying hope infusing all, namely trust in a merciful God, a God who will redeem me.
Prayer
Lord, I am dazzled and sustained by what You have done, what you have given to the lost, the injured, the hungry, and the widow. Lord while I delight in praising You, my trust in your love and forgiveness gives me the courage to strip naked before you confessing my sins, thus freeing me to go forward in love and service.
Jack Calhoun