“Guard my soul and save me”
[Psalm 25:16-22]
Satan is the adversary who is always targeting our hearts. He scatters seeds of sin indiscriminately to try to bring our hearts under his control. He relentlessly attacks by implanting sinful seeds through what we see, what we hear, and what we think. When evil and impure thoughts take root in our hearts, our hearts become occupied by Satan’s sinful thoughts. Then our hearts move away from holiness, and it becomes only a matter of time before we sin in our actions.
In Luke 21:34, the Bible warns that if we are not careful, “our hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life.” The phrase “hearts are weighed down” means that by neglecting sin for a long time, the heart becomes hardened and stubborn. It means becoming completely insensitive to spiritual things. Why does this happen? Because we fail to guard our hearts.
In Psalm 25:20, the psalmist David pleads with God, saying, “Guard my soul and save me.” Today, focusing on Psalm 25:16-22, I hope we meditate on when and how we should guard our souls and receive precious lessons.
First, when we are lonely and distressed, we must guard our hearts well.
Look at Psalm 25:16: “Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” When we are lonely and distressed, Satan attacks our hearts to sow seeds of sin, so we must guard our hearts carefully.
Why do we sometimes feel lonely and distressed? David experienced loneliness and distress because he did not compromise with the falsehoods of the world (according to Park Yoon Seon). If we compromise with the world and live mingling with worldly people, we might not feel so lonely. But the path of the believer who is guided by truth is a lonely and distressing one. David had many enemies who wrongfully deceived and troubled him (v. 3). In such circumstances, he prayed to God, “Guide me in your truth and teach me…” (v. 5). Despite the abundance of deception, David pleaded with God to guide and instruct him by the truth of the Lord.
When we are lonely and distressed, we should pray to the Lord in a quiet place. We should follow Jesus’ example, who “would withdraw to lonely places to pray” (Luke 5:16). Here, “lonely places” literally means a “desert” or wilderness. In loneliness and distress, David’s prayer was “Turn to me and have mercy on me” (v. 16). This plea shows David longing for God’s presence, desiring that God would turn His face toward him. David was heading toward a lonely wilderness, a garden of solitude. Solitude does not mean being alone; it means being with God. David longed for God’s presence and trusted in His mercy. Knowing that God’s mercy and steadfast love have been from eternity (v. 6), David asked God to remember this.
Therefore, like David, when we are lonely and distressed, we should go to a quiet place and cry out to God. We should long for God’s face and seek His mercy. When we do so, we can guard our hearts in times of loneliness and distress, and God will hear our plea and guard our souls.
Secondly, when our hearts are filled with many worries, we must guard our hearts well.
Look at Psalm 25:17: “The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.” Why was David’s heart troubled? The reason was that he was suffering physical pain and deeply aware of the sins he had committed (according to Park Yoon Seon). Therefore, David prayed to God in repentance, saying, “Lord, my sins are many; forgive me for the sake of your name” (verse 11). He was troubled in the midst of physical suffering because of his sins. However, this kind of sorrow is a beneficial sorrow, a sorrow that leads to repentance. The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Paul explains that “worldly sorrow brings death,” but sorrow according to God’s will brings repentance that leads to salvation. The prophet Jonah, after disobeying God and committing sin, ultimately prayed to God in the midst of suffering: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (Jonah 2:2). When we sin, our hearts become troubled. When troubled, we fall deeply into affliction. At that time, we must ask, like David, that God deliver us from our affliction. If we do so, God will guard our souls amid our worries and also deliver us from our distress.
Thirdly, when I am in distress and suffer hardship, we must guard our hearts well.
Look at Psalm 25:18: “Look upon my affliction and my distress, and forgive all my sins.” This verse shows two meanings: first, that some sufferings come because of sin; second, that whoever humbly accepts suffering due to sin with repentance has hope of release through God’s forgiveness (according to Park Yoon Seon). Therefore, David prayed a prayer of repentance, saying, “Lord, my sins are many; forgive me for the sake of your name” (verse 11). Instead of exposing and criticizing the sins of his enemies, David recognized his own great sins in the midst of suffering caused by persecution and repented before God. From this viewpoint, “affliction” is beneficial for us. That is why David confessed: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67), and “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (verse 71). The benefit of suffering is that it makes us aware of our sins and leads us to repent before God. Therefore, when we face distress and hardship, we must repent before God because through that affliction and hardship our great sins are revealed. By repenting and being cleansed, our souls should be established as those who obey the word of truth more and love their brothers more deeply (1 Peter 1:22). God guards such souls.
Lastly, fourthly, when our enemies deeply hate us, we must guard our hearts well.
Look at Psalm 25:19: "See how many enemies I have! They hate me with a cruel hatred." A believer is not someone without enemies. However, as a child of God, only the enemies of God will be his enemies. The enemies of God are precisely the enemies of us believers (Park Yoon Seon). Our enemies are Satan and his evil servants. They oppose, deceive, and persecute us, God's children. They deeply hate us believers. David had many enemies, and they hated him intensely. Therefore, after fleeing to God, David prayed to Him like this: "Keep my soul and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You" (verses 20-21). Here, "integrity" means "acting wholeheartedly without hypocrisy," and "uprightness" means "walking straight according to the truth without deviation" (Park Yoon Seon). Even though David was in adversity due to the deceit of his enemies, he did not depart from the path of truth or seek to save his life by other means. In such circumstances, David prayed to God to lead him wholeheartedly on the path of truth (Park Yoon Seon). The soul itself is darkened by sin and has no power to save itself. The soul can only be guarded and saved by God (Park Yoon Seon). When enemies deeply hate us, we must flee to our most beloved God and look to Him. Amid the hatred of enemies, we must meditate more deeply and realize God's great love. Our God guards our souls.
We must dedicate ourselves to guarding our own hearts. Satan works to make us lonely and distressed, to burden our hearts with worries, and to keep us living in affliction and suffering. In the midst of Satan’s work, we have the responsibility to guard our own souls. To do this, we must flee to the Lord and also plead with Him. While pleading for God’s protection, we must ask Him to guard our souls. And we must ask God for salvation. David prayed, "Turn to me and be gracious to me" (v.16), "Deliver me from my troubles" (v.17), "Forgive all my sins" (v.18), "Keep my soul and save me" (v.20). We also must pray. May God answer our prayers, deliver us from all troubles (v.22), and guard our hearts.
From one who did not guard his heart well,
Pastor James Kim
(Praying for God’s protection)