“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:5)
This verse from Psalm 25 wonderfully points out that in our daily walk with God, we have the blessing of looking to the past, present and future.
The past: “Guide me in your truth and teach me.”
This points to the way God has gone before us, laying out the path to be in relationship with Him and serve Him. The word guide (as written in the NIV) comes with connotations of a large Monty Pythonesque hand reaching down from heaven to push us in the right direction. Which is what we might sometimes wish would happen. But “guide me” is better understood here in the sense of someone treading before us, physically leading the way.
For David, as the psalm writer, God had not yet physically come to earth and walked before His people — although He had interacted with them through priests and prophets. We have the advantage of God literally walking ahead of us, which is recorded in the Bible. We can turn to God manifested in history to seek His guidance.
The present: “For you are God, my Saviour.”
We die daily with Christ (1 Corinthians 15:31), and therefore daily receive His salvation, rejoicing in Him as Saviour. God is our Saviour in the present, right now.
The future: “My hope is in you all day long.”
Hope points to the future. What’s more, hope in this verse is really better translated as “in you Lord, do I wait [expectantly] all day long”. David is constantly looking to the future, to the eager expectation of the full revelation of God’s glory. We can do the same.
Today, may you look to God in the past, present and future, following the way of Jesus, living in His daily salvation, and looking with hope for the glory to come.
Prayer
Lord, guide me daily in Your truth and give me Your mercy when I fail You. I believe in Your promises and look forward, with hope, to when I join You in glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
