Reflections based on Psalm 25:1–7; 33:18–22.

‘Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.’ (Ps. 25:5)

I love the psalms. Their passion – and their total honesty. They reveal the struggles the authors had with their personal circumstances and how, at times, they literally had to talk to their souls: ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? … Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’ (Ps.43:5).

I find refreshment when I turn to the psalms, because they give me hope. Even when I am feeling surrounded or simply low, there is usually a psalm that articulates how I am feeling. But it doesn’t allow me to wallow, as it usually then turns my thoughts to God. 

Have you ever noticed how many times the word ‘hope’ appears in the psalms? It occurs 38 times in Psalm 119 alone! The key to the effectiveness of the psalms is, I believe, the way they are honest but don’t stay there. They turn their gaze heavenwards and allow the truth to bring fresh hope.

If you have never written your own psalm, why not try writing one today? Bring your troubles to God, but also remember to speak His truths and declare ‘I will yet praise Him’.

Optional further reading: Psalm 42, Psalm 119, Psalm 146.