Psalm 5:1-3, 7-8, 11
God's Goodness and Grace

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation,
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God,
For unto thee will I pray.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD,
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy,
And in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies,
Make thy way straight before my face.

Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice,
Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them.
Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

King James Version

The King James Version has beauty in the poetic rhythm of Psalms like this one, but it sometimes disguises the meaning. Let me try a paraphrase of this scripture:

Listen to me God, because I need you!
Even as I cry to you, I know that you always hear me -
You are so attentive to me, you give me much more than I deserve,
You forgive me and make me holy out of your overflowing mercy
So that I can be with you!
So, lead me, Lord, and show me where you want me to go.
All you ask of us, Lord, is to put our trust in you,
And you bless us with overwhelming goodness
So that we sing for joy because of you!

This scripture, set hundreds of years before Jesus, truly understands the forgiving mercy and grace of God. The psalmist knows that his hope, his joy, and his renewal comes from God. God does this for us, not because of what we've done, but because God is so loving and merciful! God is so good that he puts away our failures and sins, makes us holy, and draws us near. All we have to do is to release our trust in our own skill or in the skill of earthly might, and trust in the power and goodness of God.