April 14 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The songbook of God's people is also their prayer book. As we read the Psalms, God teaches us how to worship and how to pray.

In the first seven verses of Psalm 25, we find a model prayer uttered on an ever deeper level. First the psalmist prays for deliverance: "Do not let my enemies triumph over me." Then he asks for guidance: "Show me your ways, lord, teach me your paths." And finally he prays for forgiveness: "Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways."

He is deeply conscious of the number and weight of his sins. He does not hide them from God or from himself. "The sins of my youth" are the sins so easily committed. Youth can be a careless time, a time when passions are strong. But the end of youth does not mean the end of sinning. Therefore he adds, "and my rebellious ways," meaning the deliberate, sinful acts of the mature person.

Those who are closest to us do not know the number and weight of our personal sins. We might even try to hide them from ourselves, constantly pushing them to the edges of our consciousness. We shouldn't do that. We should face thern honestly and confess them privately to God.

"Do not remember my sins," the psalmist asks. And he adds: "Remember me." Have no regard for the sins, but please regard the sinner. And he bases his plea on God's goodness: "For you, LORD, are good."

"According to your love remember me." The criminal who was crucified next to Jesus prayed a similar prayer: "Remember me!" And he was heard.

With equal fervor and even greater trust, we may ask that God's love will disregard our sins and restore the sinner. And we base our plea not on God's goodness in general but on the greatest manifestation of God's goodness: "for Jesus' sake, remember me."

REFLECTION

Pray the first seven verses of this psalm as your personal confession of sin.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.