To You, O Love, I lift up my soul!
O Heart within my heart, in You I place my trust.
Let me not feel unworthy; let not fear rule over me.
Yes! May all who open their hearts savor You and bless the earth!
Compel me to know your ways, O Love; instruct me upon your paths.
Lead me in your true, and teach me, for through You will I know wholeness;
I shall reflect your Light both day and night.
I know of your mercy, Blessed One, and of your unconditional Love;
You have been with me from the beginning.
Forgive the many times I have walked away from you
choosing to follow my own will.
I seek your guidance, once gain, I yearn to know your Peace.
Companion me as I open to your Will!
You are gracious and just, O Spirit of Truth,
happy to guide those who miss their way;
You enjoy teaching all who are open, all who choose to live in truth.
Your paths are loving and sure, O Holy One, and those who give witness to You
through their lives are blessed beyond measure.
Yet, all too often glorious gifts of Grace, of Love and Light,
are veiled by my busyness.
I bow down before You; instruct me,
that I might choose the way of love and truth.
I would live in your abundant Love, and my children as well.
Your friendship is offered to all whose hearts are open;
You make known your promises to them.
My eyes are ever on You, Beloved, keep my feet from stumbling along the way.
Turn to me, O Holy One,
and envelop me with your love, for I am lonely and oppressed.
Relieve the blocks in my heart that keep me separated from You;
See all the darkness within me; fill it with your healing Light.
Look at my pain and all my fears; they shut out love and life.
Protect me and free me; let me not live as unworthy,
for I would return Home to You.
May integrity and wholeness fill me as I dwell with You, O Loving Presence.
May we, together with the angels and the company of heaven,
help unfold your Plan for planet Earth.
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
Psalm 25 is an invitation to imagine a new life shaped by God. I wonder, what would it be like to completely trust in God? To tell God what I need and to trust that God will provide? What could it mean to rely on God completely and release my “control” over my life? What if instead of clinging to my worries, fears, stress, I released them to God’s care?
For a long time, being busy was a badge of honor for me. The more I was juggling the more accomplished I was. But the over-productive life is not sustainable; it only leads to stress and anxiety, and eventually burnout. Unfortunately, burn out is what finally forced me into finding a new rhythm, a slower pace, a life of contemplation, a reoriented mind, (or whatever the new catch phrase is), that is crucial for an abundant life. Building a spiritual reserve for me meant that I had to first rest and to get that rest, eliminate some of the busy things in my life. Only then could I have the space for contemplation and opening of my heart to God. My goal now is to be a less-anxious presence in all the places I do show up. Doing less, has actually helped me to be more effective where I do engage. It was a hard lesson to learn.
Psalm 25 gives me hope for new life and reminds me that the new life will come from God. I lift everything that I am to God, trusting my heart to the Beloved. I am not unworthy. Fear does not control me. My heart is open. I listen and I wait, trusting that God’s gifts of love and compassion are already on the way.
Check out other psalm reflections in the links below or find more of my writing published in Presbyterian Outlook or listen to my experiments in podcasting on the Period Pastor Podcast. Follow me @periodpastor
Past reflection links:
Psalm 25 Year B (2023-2024)
Psalm 25 Year B (2020-2021)
I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020. Shortly after, we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C). Starting in Advent 2019, the church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C. Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others. While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A. In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B. Advent of 2021 year C. When we returned to in person worship, we took the psalm reflections out of the order of worship. I continued to write them for the blog. Advent of 2022 year A. I left church work in July of 2023 but continued the practice of writing psalm reflections. Advent of 2023 year B. Advent of 2024 year C. I finished year C early, so I began work on psalms I missed: Psalm 119, Year D and others not in the lectionary. By the end of 2025, I have written a reflection for each psalm.
Advent of 2025 year A.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings and the PCUSA planning calendar to make text selections.
Year A Psalms
1st Sunday in Advent Psalm 122, 2nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 72, 3rd Sunday in Advent Psalm 146, 4th Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, Christmas Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1st Sunday after Christmas Psalm 148, 2nd Sunday after Christmas Psalm 147, 1st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 40, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 27, 4th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 15, 5th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 112, Transfiguration Sunday Psalm 2 or Psalm 99.
1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 32, 2nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 121, 3rdSunday in Lent Psalm 95, 4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 23, 5th Sunday in Lent Psalm 130, 6th Sunday in Lent Psalm 118 or Psalm 31.
Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 114, 2nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 16 or Psalm 111, 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 116 or Psalm 34, 4th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23 or Psalm 100, 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 31 or Psalm 119: 9-32, 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 66 or Psalm 115, 7th Sunday of Easter Psalm 68 or Psalm 21, Pentecost Psalm 104.
1st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 8, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 33 or Psalm 50, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 116 or Psalm 100, 4th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 86 or Psalm 69, 5th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 13 or Psalm 89, 6th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 145, 7th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119: 105-112 or Psalm 65, 8th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 86, 9th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 128 or Psalm 119: 129-136, 10th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 17 or Psalm 145, 11th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 85, 12th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 133 or Psalm 67, 13th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 138, 14th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 26, 15th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 149 or Psalm 119:33-40, 16th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 114 or Psalm 103, 17th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 145, 18th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 25, 19th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 80, 20th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 106 or Psalm 23, 21st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 99 or Psalm 96, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 90 or Psalm 1, 23rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 107 or Psalm 43, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 70, 25th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 123 or Psalm 90, 26th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 100 or Psalm 95.
Sources and notes:
“Psalm 25 offers a model of prayer and a model of living that are increasingly difficult to appreciate or even to comprehend in the midst of a secular culture that promotes self-actualization, self-sufficiency, and instant gratification. Instead of living for self, the psalmist prays, and that prayer is an offering of his or her life to God (v.1; see Rom 12:12). Instead of depending on self an personal resources, the psalmist depends on God in trust, finding security or refuge in God (vv. 2, 20). Instead of seeking instant gratification, the psalmist is content to what for God (vv. 3, 5, 20) in the confidence that being related to God is the essence of fullness of life (vv. 5, 12-15, 21). For the psalmist, prayer is not a way to pursue what one wants. Rather, it is a means to seek God’s ways (vv. 4-5, 8-9, 12): “They will be done.”” NIB p. 374
“The metaphor portrays prayer as an act in which individuals hold their conscious identity, their life, in hands stretched out to God as a way of saying that their life depends completely and only on the help of God.” Mays p. 124
“The psalm is among those in which first person singular style has a corporate dimension. The prayer is the voice of an individual whose troubles and hopes are those of the whole people. It leads individuals to pray in solidarity with the whole people of God, and the congregation to pray in the unity of an individual identity.” Mays p. 125
“The arrangement of the psalm’s first lines follows the order of the Hebrew alphabet. …. The petitions for the LORD to be the teacher of the one who prays use virtually every available verb in the vocabulary of instruction. …. The device has been used to the poet’s purpose to read a genuine and poignant prayer that gathers up the needs and hopes of the people who live in the midst of opposition to their faith, fearing the dangers of history, aware of their sinfulness, but trusting in the LORD and living out of hope in the LORD’s salvation.” Mays pp. 125-156
“This is one of the psalms that sees clearly that the torah of the LORD, his instruction of those who fear him, is part of God’s saving work and completes the salvation of liberation and justification with sanctification” Mays p. 127
“The psalm taught Israel to seek the grace and salvation given in the torah. It teaches the church to pray fro the Spirit to bring into our lives not only the power an mercy of God but as well a being-taught the way we are to live through the knowledge of God’s ways with us.” Mays p. 127
From: Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press. A reflection on Psalm 25 by Kentina Washington-Leapheart. She has the word [how] in brackets. You can read her reflection with or without that word. See how it strikes you when read each way: What I Need: O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame. Psalm 25:2 It has only been since I got “good and grown” that I have learned [how] to ask for what I need. Maturity and a close relationship with disappointment have a way of expediting things. I have learned the steps to the delicate have-not-because-you-ask-not dance. My closed mouth has stood in the way of being fed; Fear and shame has been a bigger obstacle than the ask itself. Lord, show me that embarrassment is not the worst thing that could ever happen to me and that there is no shame in asking boldly. O God, help me to learn [how] to be hopeful for the “yes” and [how] to live with the “no.” O Lord, teach me how to trust.
“The psalmist is clear: Distress is relieved by right-mindedness. It is not so much how much we do that determines the degree of stress it brings. It is the attitude with which we do it that defines its effect on us. It is the spiritual reserve we bring to natural situations that determines the toll it takes to survive the passing of time gone mad.” Chittister p. 59
“This is one of nine alphabetical acrostics in the Book of Psalms, a form used elsewhere in biblical poetry only in Lamentations. The acrostic may have been favored by psalmists as an aid to memory because of the liturgical use of their text. The sixth letter of the alphabet, waw, is missing here, as is the nineteenth letter, qof.” Alter p. 84
“22. Redeem, God, Israel from all its straits. This concluding verse lacks poetic parallelism and does not scan as a line of poetry. the national theme, moreover, has until the point not been evident in the psalm, which is splendid from the perspective of an individual. For both these reasons, one suspects that the verse was added by an editor as a conclusion from a repertory of stock verses.” Alter p. 87
Alter, Robert. 2007. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company
WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.
Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022. Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.
Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House.
Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.
Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.
Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing.
Cudjoe-Wilkes and Wilkes Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books.
WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.
W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020.
Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016.
NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.
Morgan, Michael. 2010. The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.
Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.
WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.
Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres
OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.
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