Our call to worship is Psalm 25:1-5.
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.
The Psalms are full of the depth of human emotion and experience. We hear praise to God, cries for help, confession and prayers for forgiveness. While there are common themes among the Psalms, each expresses a unique situation of connecting with our Heavenly Father.
This Psalm speaks of trust in the Lord, following His paths and the hope of salvation in Him. Jesus was intimately familiar with all Scripture and according to Matthew 27:46 was praying Psalm 22 as He died for us on the cross. Jesus knew that even in His suffering, God was there.
As we enter the season of Lent, we are called to a time of self examination and repentance, preparing us for the joy of His resurrection on Easter. I invite you to join us in studying the Penitential Psalms, a group of scriptures that deal with repentance and reconciliation. Each Monday in Lent we will read one of these Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 & 138), and explore how they lead us to a deeper relationship with God through Christ.
Wise and wonderful God, we often encounter difficult situations and our actions toward each other don’t always reflect Your love and Your image in each of us. Hear our prayer and lead us to see the face of Jesus in all of Your children. Amen.