I lift Up My Soul

Psalm 25 is a prayer. It begins… To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

In the Hebrew language, the soul is literally your neck. The word was also an ancient Hebrew metaphor for your entire life. If you think about your neck, it’s this narrow passage through which all that gives you life must pass. Your thoughts, your gut feelings, your food, your nerves, your blood, and your breath all pass through to the rest of the body. Your soul is what holds you together. It is your very life.

By praying I lift up my soul, we are saying, God, I am handing you my life – my thoughts, my feelings, my worry, my anxiety, my joy. This is a profound description of prayer. I trust you with all that I am.

The Psalm is beautiful. It continues to pray through a whole range of human emotions and need. It covers everything from our need for forgiveness to our need for guidance and hope. Whoever wrote this Psalm believed that our faith offers us a path that leads to God’s peace. And, it begins with surrender.

Let us pray, using Psalm 25 as a guide: To you, O God, I lift up my soul, all that I am, and all that I’m going through… In you I trust. Help me to know your ways and teach me your paths. Lead me… for you are the God of my salvation, and for you, I wait. Be mindful of your mercy, O God, and of your steadfast love. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions. Turn to me and be gracious to me. Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. Consider my trouble, and forgive all my sins. O guard my life, and deliver me, for I take refuge in you. Amen.