Psalm 25:1 – O Lord, I give my life to you.
2     I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.

8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. (NLT)

In the ancient Hebrew, this psalm is an acrostic – each line begins with the next letter of the alphabet.  In the ABC’s of prayer, honesty comes first.  How honest are we with God in our prayers?  This is the question this psalm asks of us.  In verse one, the psalmist gives his life to the Lord.  Other translations have, “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (NIV, NKJV).  For the ancient Jews, lifting one’s soul was not just an act of praise, but literally keeping nothing hidden from God.  This is true worship!  This is how our lives should be lived, and how our prayers should be prayed – keeping nothing hidden from God.  

Sometimes, it’s not just with God that we try to hide parts of our lives.  Sometimes, we are not honest with ourselves, and we ignore parts of our lives that should be addressed.  When we are not open to God in our prayers, we close ourselves off from God’s instruction in those very areas that may need the most instruction.  Maybe deep down inside there are parts of our lives we simply don’t want to change.  Perhaps, we fear change, or we fear failure in changing.  Being honest with God keeps us honest with ourselves, and this allows us to address those areas of our lives that need the transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit.

In verse four, the psalmist asks to be shown the right path.  Only through honest prayer can we find the strength to walk the right path.  Honesty and openness with God must be our way of life, and so in verse five the psalmist states” “All day long I put my hope in you.”

Let’s be honest with God – and ourselves – all day, every day.  Let’s keep nothing hidden from God, and let’s allow God to lead us in any changes we should make.

Posted by Ramón Torres