To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
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!
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For your name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
When David was fleeing Saul, at times he was filled with doubt and anxiety. He had no refuge but the Lord. He could not put his trust in his own abilities or those of his warriors. As formidable as they were they were still human and subject to weakness and frailty. Because they were constantly on the run they were filled with stress and prone to depression and exhaustion. If they were to encounter an enemy in such a state they might not be able to stand against them. Hence David knew that although life had its variables and uncertainties, God was able to handle them all. And if God was with him He would enable him to endure and overcome all enemies and obstacles.
We often forget the Lord’s strength and power when we are faced with trials and problems, illness, and life’s worries and storms. Yet we can endure if we, like David, remember that the Lord is with us. He is certainly able to encourage and strengthen us so that we can stand and endure no matter what forces or problems we face.
Yet we still worry and fret because we look at the problem and not at the Lord. As long as we put our trust in Him we will not be ashamed of ourselves either in our own spirits or in the face of our enemies and detractors. The Lord will uphold his loved ones in the face of the skeptics and critics of our faith so that they will be ashamed by their own folly. They will either intensify their venomous assaults on us and on Jesus or else they will be amazed and awed by the Lord’s constant and abiding strength and wisdom manifested by we who bear His name. We hope and pray the latter for if they continue to persecute us they will incur punishment in this life as well as in eternity for they will stand separate from the Lord God Almighty.