Psalm 25:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.

NIV: Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.

NASB: The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses.

CSB: The distresses of my heart increase; bring me out of my sufferings.

NLT: My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all!

KJV: The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

NKJV: The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses!

Feeling overwhelmed, David asks the Lord to deliver him from his distresses. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, David turns to God for help. A believer may feel so burdened with care and so anxious about his problems that he may toss and turn all night. However, instead of tossing and turning in bed, he can turn his troubles over to the Lord, as David did, and toss them onto the shoulders of the Great High Priest. First Peter 5:7 talks about "casting" our anxieties on God because He cares for us.

Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence in order to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Writing to the Philippian Christians while under arrest and chained to Roman guards, the apostle Paul exhorted his readers to rejoice in the Lord. He wrote, "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:5–7). Long before Paul addressed the Philippians, David applied the perfect prescription for peace.

Psalm 25:15–22 records more of David's prayer. He is facing multiple dangers, but he trusts the Lord to deliver him. In this regard, his plea resembles that of his prayer for deliverance in Psalm 22. The concluding section of Psalm 25 naturally follows David's description of the Lord's steadfast love and mercy. The Lord cares for those who obey Him, so He will not disappoint David in David's time of great need.

This prayer of David uses the Hebrew alphabet as a pattern. This is an acrostic, where verses each begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The final verse, however, repeats the letter used in verse 16. David declares his trust in God and the value of the Lord's wisdom. Mixed into these praises of God's truth are multiple requests that David be forgiven of his sins. The psalm ends with David asking for rescue from his enemies, and for a similar redemption for the nation of Israel.

Psalm 25 finds David facing difficulty and seeking the Lord's guidance. Proverbs 3:5–6 offers a similar emphasis on divine guidance for those who seek the Lord's will. Deuteronomy 32 provides parallel teaching, as do Psalm 37:1–7 and Psalm 40.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.