Psalm 025 - A Prayer for Guidance, Pardon and Protection

In you, LORD my God,
I put my trust.
I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
For the sake of your name, LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!
Guard my life and rescue me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, LORD, is in you.
Deliver Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

We all go through problems in life along with various struggles and difficulties. What are we to do? David offers us some excellent advice in this Psalm. 

One: Trust in God. David says, "In you, LORD my God, I put my trust" before affirming, "No one who hopes in God will ever be put to shame." Let us always remember this great truth!

Two: Seek God's guidance. David then asks God to show him his ways and teach him his paths. "Guide me in your truth and teach me," he tells God. God will always lead us out of difficult terrain into green pastures. 

Three: Acknowledge our sins and repent of them. David confesses his sins, asking God to forgive him for the sins of his youth and his rebellious ways. Who among us cannot relate to David? We need to acknowledge our sins and repent as David did and then blessings will flow.

Four: Be humble and obey God. Scripture says, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" (James 4:6). The proud are unteachable, but the humble follow God's instructions. When we do this, we gain favor with God, who makes mincemeat of our problems.

Five: Keep your eyes on God. Years later, the apostle Peter learned this truth when he walked upon the water. Although storms raged around him, they didn't bother him — as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. The moment he took his eyes off Jesus and saw the wind, he sank like a stone.

Easy when you know how, yes?

God be with you.