What do you do when you are feeling vulnerable and lonely? To whom do you turn when the burden of guilt or shame weighs on your mind? How do you make decisions when the future is not clear and the choices that you have feel confusing? Friends can be very helpful and give not only comfort but often have good advice. Counselors, spiritual directors, and pastors are available for those who are willing to seek out their insight. Books, on-line articles, and sermons are generally free and can be a great resource for helping individuals to face and accept reality and to move toward good solutions. At other times, moments or hours of personal reflection and rest can bring relief to our mind and our hearts.
Isn’t it amazing that one of the greatest sources of comfort and wisdom that can be found is in the ancient book in the Bible called Psalms? For example, when David wrote Psalm 25, he talked with the LORD about the very real concerns that were on his mind and the longings of his heart. While we know nothing about the circumstances of his life when he wrote this very creative and expressive acrostic poem, we do know that God gave him the ability to honestly express not only his needs but to remind himself of the things that he knew to be true of Jehovah. So he came humbly and yet confidently to God asking Him “to show him His ways, to teach him His paths and to guide him.” Is there any greater prayer that has the potential to reach down into our hearts and to give us a calm assurance that we are not alone, that God will be faithful to His promises, and that our future is secure?
How are you feeling today? It just might be that this Psalm would be a great source of encouragement and strength for you. Why not make it your prayer and then watch for God’s responses?
