ROOTED - Monday, April 13, 2026

Published April 13, 2026

Psalm 25:1, 2

1  To you,
O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, in you I trust;

    let me not be put to shame;

    let not my enemies exult over me.

Reflection: “Unto Thee O Lord”

Written By: Pastor Jesse
Caro

Being
now in the Psalms (a nice break from Job’s friends’ accusations, and the
history of the Kings and Chronicles), I am glad to find a new rhythm of prayer
language in our reading. The Psalms are an oasis when I read through the Old
Testament. It is as though you are reading through the heavy weight of the Law
and history in the first half of the Old Testament, and the difficult prophetic
utterances of the Prophets in the last half. Psalms is the island in the middle
of the rough waters… an island full of the refreshment of the welcomed shade of
coconut palms. So, I especially welcome reading Psalms… a perfectly placed book
smack dab in the middle of the Old Testament witness. We won’t be on this
island paradise for long, so we must be refreshed for the journey to the
familiar ground of home in the New Testament.

In
Sunday School I learned the little lyric and tune…

Unto
thee oh Lord, do I lift up my soul!

Oh,
my God… I trust in thee.

Let
me not be ashamed.

Let
not my enemies triumph over me!

Obviously,
this lyric was borrowed from the ol’ King James Version. But who remembers the
tune? So, as I am reading, I remember that tune from 40 years ago, pulled from
the recesses of my mind. It is now stuck as a ditty… so I am singing it as I
type. I am quite certain that as an 8-year-old boy those words meant little to
me, though I am sure I sang them at the top of my lungs with the energy of a
child. Today those words are highly meaningful. I have seen God defend me and protect
me from enemies. I have lived long enough to lift my soul to God, trusting him
to make my path straight and defend me from evil doers. And I find myself
grateful for this tune, even if it is stuck in my head. I sing it now with the
joy of a 50-year-old who has seen God accomplish a lot on his behalf. And I am
quite certain that my 8-year-old self could never have sung this song with the
vigor of my 50-year-old self. For I have seen God’s hand at work in ways that
my younger self could never have imagined! As I said… the Psalms are a welcomed
oasis!

Prayer

Lord, as we read the Psalter, may we see the Psalms with new eyes,
not like we did in the days of our youth, but as adults who have experienced
your divine grace.

Bible Reading Plan