“To you, O
Lord, I lift up my soul."
This Psalm is a plea from the depth of a suffering
soul to the God in whom the speaker trusts for deliverance and mercy. Yet despite
this trust, the text is a cry of desperation. It points to our longing for God
not only to deliver us from our troubles, but also for God to see us fully. We
wait for God to see us through the darkness, and to bestow the mercy that we
trust God alone to give.
Woven together with this plea is a petition for
instruction in following the right path (verses 4-5 and 8-10). While mercy is
dependent on God and not on our own deserving, the Psalmist knows that such
mercy is most often found by walking the way that God has provided within the
covenant community (verses 10, 13-15).
With the Psalmist, as a community and as
individuals, we pray, “See me, God, and
show me that mercy and steadfast love for which I long, and which I can receive
only from you.” Today, we cry the lament of Psalm 25, and wait for the
salvation that we know is ours.[1]
Collect for Psalm 25: Lord
our God, you show us your ways of compassion and love, and you spare sinners.
Remember not our sins; relive our misery; satisfy the longing of your people;
and fulfill all our hopes for eternal peace through your Son Jesus Christ our
Lord.[2]
[2] For All the Saints, A Prayer Book for and by the Church © 1995 American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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