Week 6

Psalm 25 … "Lord, make me know your ways"

There is a sincerity and authenticity about the words of this simple prayer of petition to God. One begins in the posture of prayer with hands raised, externally expressing the giving over to God of the depth of one's being - (in biblical thought, this is the meaning of "soul"). Words of hope enclose the prayer (vs 2-3 and 20-21). Here the psalmist "trusts" and "waits". Isn't this a necessary disposition for living in God's presence?

The Psalm is divided into three parts: 1) vs 1-7 is a petition to God 2) vs 8-15 speaks about God 3) vs 16-22 again, a petition addressed to God. In the 1st and the 3rd parts, one can sense in the petition raised to God, the thoughts of one who, perhaps has turned a corner in their relationship with God, wishing to renew their commitment, to set a new course for their life. The psalmist seems to recognize the shallowness of so much of life. There is recognition of the human condition (sinfulness) that weighs heavily. Being instructed in the ways of the Lord, is where one can hope to find true contentment, security, happiness and freedom. The psalmist has "tasted the goodness of the Lord" (Ps 34:9) and prays to know more. This insight must be given by God. The "snares" that tangle the feet (vs 15) will be freed if one keeps their eyes on the Lord, waiting and trusting. The narrow ways and the tangles of the past give way to the light of a new day!

The middle section makes use of the rich language of Covenant. Israel knows the Lord as a God who abounds in faithful love, kindness, fidelity and mercy. The reliability of God to remain faithful to Covenant promises is the meaning of "Justice" in much of the Bible. The fitting response of one to such gracious goodness is reverence, humility and trust. In the language of the wisdom tradition this is "fear of the Lord" . The wise person is the one who picks their way, carefully choosing and waiting on the Lord to point out the path. Note the frequent use of the term "way" or "path" (10 times in this psalm!) . We have commented on the words "way" or "path" in previous reflections. The words imply the course of life one determines to follow: a way either open to the will of God or opposed to it. This " way" is vividly portrayed as being either a tangle of snares or upwards-looking toward the freedom of God.

Insight into the strength of the relationship between the psalmist and God is evident in the use of the divine name "Yahweh" (Lord) 10 times. This suggests an intimacy between the psalmist and God. He relies on the strength of the bond when he begs God to "remember not" his sins, but to remember instead God's own compassion and kindness. Here we see the attitude of humble trust that is the basis of our relationship with God.

Who could not pray this psalm and find in it much food for thought and thought for prayer! It is an alphabetic acrostic…meaning that each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. From Aleph to Tav (or we might say from a-z) we find in this psalm a simple way of speaking to God that expresses our interior longing to be guided along simple ways according to God's direction. The way will be different for each of us. We are not speaking of a list of directives, but the delicate listening characteristic of one who loves another. There are large patterns in our life and the daily small patterns that can change frequently. Prayer and attentiveness to God, time for quiet and reflection will keep alive our ability to be directed by God along the paths of "kindness and constancy".