Seeking God's Preserving Power

Lifting Our Soul to God

Read Pslam 25:1-3, “

1  To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2  O my God, in you I trust;

let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

3  Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Having victory over our spiritual foes, and those even in the human experience that stand as people who oppose what is true, and oppose divine ways and truth. Having victory over these foes of ours, in no way does damage to them. It just enable us to live in our freedoms. And us to live in the full life of God and the promises of God.

But because people are blinded by Satan, they do not even understand or even know why they oppose the righteous. They just know, that they do not want the righteous to live the life that God promises to them.

When our shame, is tied into whether our lives are giving God glory or not, it means that God is interested in that prayer. If we pray that God would not let us be put to shame, but our shame, would mean that we would be seen as belonging to God, or for doing what is the right thing, it means, that we still have to make a decision about who will be our Lord.

People who are wantonly treacherous, for some reason, hate those who love the truth. It is a mystery as to why. For some reason, sinners are so bound up in sin, that they contradict everything about their own declarations.

That God Would Speak

Psalm 25:4-7,

4  Make me to 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 long.

6  Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

7  Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

according to your steadfast love remember me,

for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

8 Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9  He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

10  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

11  For your name’s sake, O LORD,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

12  Who is the man who fears the LORD?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

13  His soul shall abide in well-being,

and his offspring shall inherit the land.

14  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant.

15  My eyes are ever toward the LORD,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

16  Turn 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  Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

19  Consider how many are my foes,

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

20  Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!

Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

This is a psalm of David. Here, as all throughout the Psalms that he wrote, you see that David positions himself before God. “Here I am God. Speak into my existence, and into my situation. I know that you are a holy God, and that if you remember my sins, that I won’t be heard.”

David waits patiently. David understands that without hearing from God.

David looks to his past. He is desiring to draw near to God, but as he does so, he is faced with how much sin is in his life.

This is the way it is for every true believer. Casual believers, presume on God, and don’t experience the guilt, leading to a truly humble heart and spirit.

If you are humbled, you will accept the ways of God. If you are humbled, you will accept the truth. And God will come, and will lead you in the truth, and will lead you in the way the “he would choose”. That is what it means.

God will deliver the humbled person, like David. This person will be doing well. Their life will be close to God and will abide in well being, they will experience deliverance from traps, they will accept God’s ways, and also be forgiven. They will be delivered from the shame of walking in sin.

You know, when you try and exit the world. The devil will not let you go easy. You may compromise, and pretend to follow Jesus. But it is difficult to repent. It is difficult to accept God’s ways. It is difficult to humble yourself before God, like David.

Preservation Contingent on Fruit

English Standard Version Psalm 25

21  May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you.

22  Redeem Israel, O God,

out of all his troubles.

Many people think that confession, void of heart and character change is acceptable to God. This is a deception.

Many people think that God will preserve you, even if your character is ungodly.

How you act, when no one else is looking. That is your character.

If you pretend to be a godly person, but then act sinfully when no one else is around. It means, that your character, will not be enough for you to endure the test of faith.

David here explains this to us. David says, preservation from God. The mark of it, is a life where he is experiencing integrity, in his own life. That is God’s grace working “in” him. Pardon, and forgiveness without a changed path, and without understanding the reasons why, means that pardon is non-existent.

The fruit of being forgiven by God....the fruit of God bringing you close to himself....the fruit that God accepts you, is if he makes your character like him.

Preserve me God, is what Davids says, and prays. If David is sinning, he sees it’ as lack of salvation. This is the truth.

David, again, in one sense is representing Israel. The suffering David is facing, is in a sense the state of Israel. He pleads, for himself, and also for the people of Israel, God’s people, that they would be saved.

God bless.