To You I Lift Up My Soul - Proverbs 25

The other day our cat escaped from the house. When I realized that Chester had gotten out I quickly went outside to find him. The grass is tall around our home so I was hoping that he had not ventured beyond the lawn. It would be impossible to find him if he ventured into that area. When I came around the corner, there he was crouching in the grass. He saw me as I turned the corner. I am pretty sure that we were both glad to see eachother. I began to talk to him as I walked towards him and then he began to stand up and lift himself out of the grass. It is a scary world out there for a cat who finds himself in that situation for the first time. But when he saw me he stood up as if to be seen by someone he trusted.

In Psalm 25 David writes these words, "To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me never be put to shame, let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none wo wait for you shall be put to shame." These are beautiful words. David, like us, lives in a scary world and most of the time we find ourselves hiding behind trees from the Lord due to our shame like Adam did in the garden. Yet, there are those people who, when God's voice calls out to them, they come out of the tall grass and they step out from behind the tree. (Genesis 3:8) Those who do this display the trust that they have in the LORD. Though sinful, guilty and shameful, they lift their souls up to the LORD who can save them.

At some point we will find ourselves lifting up our souls to be seen by someone. For example, in Pslam 24:3-4 David writes, "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully." In our culture, we hear many expressing great excitement when they step out bold faced in their sin before others. We often hear it said, "I have never felt better since I came out of the closet and accepted who I am. This is not the words of a person who has made their hands clean and who has souht a pure heart. Nor is this a person who will be able to ascend the hill of the LORD with clean hands and a clean heart.

David says, "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." (v.7)

David says, "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." (v.8-9)

David lifts his soul to the Lord and says, "For your names sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great."

He lifts his soul up to the Lord and says, "Turn to me, and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins." (v.16-18)

We live in a scary world, but blessed is the person who will lift up their soul to the Lord and find redemption. Blessed is the person who will wait for the Lord who delivers them from all of their troubles. (v.21-22)