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Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to himself. Confess any known sin. Thank him for his forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and his sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s word. Pray for others in your life that they too would know and love God today.
Read:
Psa. 25:1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; 2 in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.
Understand:
The exact historical circumstances of most of David’s Psalms are unknown. This is likely because they were written to have wider application to all of our lives. We do know enough about David’s life to know his struggles were both self-inflicted as well as inflicted on him by the poor choices of others. He was called a “man after God’s own heart” but this endearing term was the result of years of trouble that taught him to depend on God not on himself.
The soul of person is the “real you,” its not just the “spiritual” part of you that “floats” to heaven when you die. David “lifted his soul to God” which means he brought all of himself and offered it up to God. He has come to end of himself, a very good and very hard place to be.
Apply:
Think of a time when you experienced shame because you trusted in yourself. Trusting in yourself means you tried to live life on your own terms rather than on God’s. Maybe this experience included others who were watching your life who rejoiced, or gloated in your misfortune. The shame was not just private but public shame.
Jesus’ shame was very public. He was subjected to scorn and abuse. His shame was earned by us not by him. If thinking of your shame, distant past or recent experience causes you to “shudder” remember that Jesus bore that specific shame, that sin on the cross. Remember that he has risen, he no longer experiences the shame of the cross, and you are to no longer experience the shame of past sin either. Move into the “new normal.” You cannot go back to your life before your shameful experience but you can move into your life after Christ has taken your shame on himself. This is your “new normal” in Christ.
*From what you have just read and considered what is a personal implication/application for your life today?
Live:
(Personalize this prayer for today, make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through his Spirit as you go through your day. Ask him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell him “Yes” to his will today and ask him for his power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask him to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY TODAY.