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Daily Devotion: Psalm 25:1-2

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Psalm 25:1-2    "Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.  (2)  O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me."

Do you ever make a list of things to remind you of something? Psalm 25 seems to be a checklist for David concerning the mercies of God whether they were applied to him or someone else.  David is reminding himself to remember God's dealings with him up to that point in his life. When facing a situation in life over which we have no control, it is very important to keep our focus on the Lord rather than the situation.  Peter is an example of this when the disciples were on the boat in the storm. They saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. He said, "Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you."  Jesus said, "Come."  Peter hopped out of the boat and began walking on the water.  But when he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink.  

I do not write about Peter as a condemnation to him. As far as I can tell, Peter is only the second man to ever walk on top of water. The first man was Jesus, of course. But I use Peter in this lesson to let us all know that there are many times when we start out strong in the beginning of a situation only to find ourselves sinking as the "wind and waves" get higher.

David found himself in a situation where he realized his only help was from God.  I think this was probably after he was anointed to be king. Maybe it was when Saul was hunting him down like an animal. Whatever the situation, David was feeling the intense pressure. He did as we all should do in that he stopped what he was doing and began to make this checklist of some of the mercies of God that had been extended to him. It seems he was reminding himself that his help came from the Lord. He was extending himself to the very One Who had helped him so much in the past. You remember some of those victories that had been given to him - the bear, the lion, and the giant.

Maybe you aren't facing a bear, lion, or giant, but whatever it may be is causing you to have doubts or anxiety. We usually hear the advice that says, "Be like David and face your problems headlong."  Well, David did not always just charge fearlessly into the situation with the full armour of God. Sometimes, he could only clinch to that part of the armour that says, "Pray without ceasing."  Sometimes he was like the father who brought his son to Jesus: "Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief."   Lord, I trust you, but please bolster my faith.  Help me to remember all you have done for me in the past so I may be strong in your power and might. 

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