He instructs sinners in the way.

Psalm 25 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
³ Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

⁴ Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
⁶ Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; ccording to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth
To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
⁽⁾Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹² Who is the man who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
¹³ His soul will abide in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
^[]And He will make them know His covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
²⁰ Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
²² Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.

The psalmist says:  Make me 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 the day.  Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.  Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.  Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.  He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.  All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.  God is a compassionate God; full of love and kindness. 2 Peter 3:9 says:  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.   God’s desire is that all would have the heart of the psalmist; a willingness to know His ways and to be led in His path. God does indeed instruct sinners. For those who are humble and willing, His instruction is with love and compassion. For those who resist God, for those who choose to continue in sin rather than being redeemed from sin, it is the consequences of sin that become the teacher. In Matthew 16:26-27 Jesus says:  “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.”  It is far better to learn the ways of God in love than it will be to know them in His judgment.

The psalmist says:  For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.  Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.  His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will inherit the land.  The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know His covenant.  My eyes are continually toward the Lord, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.  God’s grace, that He has forgiven our sins through the cross and not based on our own righteousness, it is for His name’s sake. It is because He is loving and compassionate. We are unable, on our own to keep His covenant of the Law and commandments. So, because of His love, His justice and His truthfulness, He established a knew covenant based on the sacrifice of Christ. The psalmist says that God instructs us in the way we should choose. In John 14:6 Jesus says:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”   From Genesis to Revelation, God’s word is His instruction for the way we should choose. His word reveals His will and His plan for us to be redeemed from sin, reconciled to Him and restored to all that He intended, through Christ His Son.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses.  Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.  Look upon my enemies, for they are many, And they hate me with violent hatred.
Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.  Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all his troubles.  Amen. Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit for Your love, compassion, for Your wisdom, guidance and instruction. Thank You that You never leave me or forsake me; that I am redeemed, reconciled and restored; that through the cross and the resurrection, I have overcome the tribulation of the world, in Christ.   Amen.