Getting the Right Help

February 27

(Psalms 25:1-14 NIV)  “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; {2} in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. {3} No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. {4} Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; {5} guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. {6} Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. {7} Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. {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 for those who keep the demands of his covenant. {11} For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. {12} Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. {13} He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. {14} The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”

Often our problems aren’t really too big; we just don’t get the right help in solving them. David made a lot of mistakes, but he always came back to God. He always returned in repentance and renewed his covenant with God. We can learn from this. He turned to the right source for help. Ten times in Psalm 25 he appeals to the Lord. He asked God to show him the way, teach him, and guide him. He also confessed his sins and shortcomings. Confession is not for God’s benefit; it’s for ours. Naming our sins takes away some of their power over us. Sins brought into the light grow weaker day by day. David also asked to be forgiven. He asked God to forget his sins. He appealed to God’s nature; His mercy, goodness, faithfulness, and love. He lifted his soul to God. He put his hope for salvation in the Lord. These are wise moves, even today. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day