As you pray the psalms, you naturally recognize structures built into the prayers. In Psalm 25, I see four main ideas, symmetrically arranged.

David starts with his resolution and hope:

• Wait for the LORD (A, vv. 1–3).
• He asks for guidance (B, vv. 4–5).
• He asks for forgiveness and help (C, vv. 6–7)
• At the center, he rehearses the foundation for his hope, the hope of the entire prayer, the LORD’s character (D, vv. 8–9).
  

He then moves symmetrically back through each idea:

• He asks for guidance (Bʹ, vv. 11–15),
• He asks for forgiveness and help (Cʹ, vv. 16–18)
• He restates his current plan: the hope and refuge of waiting for the LORD (Aʹ, vv. 19–22).
  

You’ll notice one extra idea scattered throughout: David’s need for deliverance from his enemies. What do we do with this idea, so common in the psalms, as we try to pray the psalms as our own words?¹

We must recognize that we all have enemies from which we need deliverance. At the very least, we need to be delivered from spiritual powers of darkness and our flesh (cf. Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 7:1). Both enemies are real, and we neglect to pray about them to our own harm.

I’ve illustrated the symmetrical pattern with the ESV in the picture below.

1. A little more on this idea here: Enemies in the Psalms ↩