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. (Psalm 25:1-9)
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Have you ever trained for something? A long race. A beloved sport. A desired weight. A better grade. A new position at work. Or any other personal goal?
One of my most memorable times of training and discipline was ta couple years ago when I trained for a "Tough Mudder" with my older brother. If you have never heard of this before, look it up! (After the devo though...) It is a 12 mile obstacle course full crazy events involving mud, electric shocks, fire, ice, big jumps, tall walls, and so many energetic people.
Just like any training, this took a couple of things from my brother and I: commitment, trust, positive expectations, and continual reminders that we could do it AND that it would be worth it.
And when training for something that requires a signed death waiver, it felt pretty obscene to label it "worth it."
But... we did it; and it was completely worth it.
Whether you choose to believe it or not, our Christian faith also involves consistent training and discipline. Without a doubt, it takes much commitment, trust, positive expectations (hope), and continual reminders that you can do it and that it is worth it.
Today's psalm is a great reminder of that. It reminds us that we are committed to a God who saves us from our enemy, a God who teaches us, guides us, and forgives us. A God that we can trust.
But how often do we lose hope when "training" in our faith? It all just seems too hard, you just do not feel like it anymore, God seems too distant, and the future feels just as bleak as your present.
It is in these moments that we must remember that we can do it and that it is worth it. In front of us is a path, made by God, and completely in line with who we really are. Hope is the positive expectation of it being there; of God delivering on all of His promises.
We can live this faith because God has forgotten "the sins of [our] youth and [our] rebellious ways" and He has remembered us despite them all. This is huge.
This psalm is David's personal time of remembering that he can live righteously because God has forgotten his sins, yet remembered him.
It is a psalm that reminds us that this training is worth it. So before you go on with your day, I encourage you to take time and re-read it. In doing this, pray through it and ask God to grow your commitment, trust, hope, and confidence that He is worth it.
And finally, use it as a tool for today's training. I promise you, God will teach and guide us when we seek Him. Rest in the reality that He has forgotten your sins, yet has consistently remembered you.
Have a great day. Thank you for joining us! We would love your help sharing it with others! feel free to use the image below to do just that!
Blessings,
Greg, Declare Glory
