Guide Me

“O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord. The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:1-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I would like for us to focus on verse 1 of today's scripture.  "O Lord, I give my life to you." This is a definite declaration of faith. David gave his life to the Lord! Any student of scripture knows that David's life was extraordinary.  In I Samuel 17, he testified how he fought lions and bears to protect his father's sheep and goats. In that same chapter, he courageously stood up to the 9 1/2 foot tall Philistine giant,  Goliath (I Samuel 17:4), who had been blaspheming the God of Israel.  He was but a ruddy teenager when he did these things. David was a mighty warrior. I Samuel 18:7, 21:11, and 29:5 we read about the people singing the song "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!" Saul was the king of Israel (its first king) and he was a head taller than anyone else (I Samuel 9:2). He was a robust fellow, yet it appears that he was fearful of the giant. David became an instant hero when he defeated the giant. The people became very fond of David. Saul became jealous. In I Samuel 18, Jonathan, Sauls son, became David's best friend. Saul would later disobey God's command and would lose his anointing from God as king of Israel. The anointing was placed upon David. The story is so much more than words can express in this short devotional, but I encourage you to read it all in 1 and 2 Samuel.  In 2 Samuel we read of David's adultery, his command to murder Uriah, the Hittite, and the corresponding consequences. The beauty in all of it is this: David had great success in his life and also committed great sin! By the mercy and grace of God, He still finished well. We read of his repentance of these atrocities in Psalm 51. After repentance, David was restored to right fellowship with God and was able to finish life for the honor of God! Tucked away in Acts 13, we read about David being a man after God's own heart (verse 22). Although David had a momentary lapse of reason that plunged him into despair, God mercifully forgave his sin and let his life finish well. In Acts 13:36 we read that he finished life by doing the will of God!  "...for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed.” ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭13:36‬ ‭NLT I don't know about you, but David's life is an encouragement to me. I, too, have had fine moments in life and yet I have regrets as well. I live with these regrets in my own heart and mind. They try to torment me. However, in the sheer mercy and grace of God, I want to finish well. My life is not defined by my faults, it is defined by my willingness to let God have them. The race is defined by, not only how it's ran, but also how it is finished. Do you live with regret? Do you struggle beneath the load of guilt and shame that haunts you? Do yourself a favor: Abandon your feeble attempts to run this race on your own and fall at the feet of the merciful and gracious God. Only Jesus ran this race and won it!!! Our only hope of winning is in Him! Can I hear the church shout "AMEN"? Have you given your life to God? 
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Prayer for today: Father, In Jesus name, I bring all of my faults and failures to You. I lay them at Your feet and ask that You would pick up the pieces and make something beautiful out of my life. Regardless of the struggle, let me finish well for Your name sake! Guide me O Blessed Holy Spirit!