Teach Me

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
—Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

I have an old and worn cardstock placard beside my desk with the words “Teach Me” written bold and big. At one point, I must have put a coffee mug on it because a stained circle is clearly seen on the word “teach.” I really should throw it away and start over with a new one. But there it stays, folded in half so it stands tall, reminding me of an important truth. I need reminding. I don’t always have a teachable heart.

How about you? Are you like me and find it easier some days to judge a person without learning their story? Is the temptation to make a quick, snappy reply to an annoying statement overwhelmingly more attractive than trying to understand? Is it more comfortable to keep your ideas just the way they’ve always been rather than hear another’s ideas? Yeah. Staying with what I want and what I have always known is easier than being curious and willing to learn. But that is not the way of a follower of Christ.

When He walked this earth, Jesus had many titles and one of them was “Teacher.” His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, and from that question came what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus taught over and over in parables and sermons. What He said was not always comfortable or convenient, status quo or attractive, but it was always right. We should never tire of sitting at His feet and learning from Him.

In Psalm 25, David models for us the teachable heart.

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.”  The best way to start a day is with time in God’s Word and a prayer similar to this one. God’s ways are frequently not our ways, right? If we don’t sit and read and learn and remind ourselves of the truths God teaches us in His Word, how easily we can stray from the path marked out for us. Left to our own devices, we give way to selfishness and comfort. God’s Word reminds us to see others, love them, care about their souls, and sometimes sacrifice our comfort for their well-being. God’s Word helps us to live … His way, which, of course, is always the best way.

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Savior.”  David repeats the words, “teach me,” just a few lines later in this psalm as he declares his faith in God who saves. We live in a world that defines “truth” in multiple, often contradictory, ways. If we want “the truth,” we go to the One who made us and created this complex and marvelous world in which we live. Then, we can discern what is right and true—and what is not—in our sometimes-confusing culture.

“And my hope is in you all day long.”  When we begin our day seeking Him and His truth in His Word, we gain the blessing of having Him ever-so-close beside us all day long. Our hearts can sing because our hope is not in a cause or a politician but in the One who never fails, never lies, and never disappoints.

Teach me, Lord. I can’t do this confusing life without You. Give me a heart that is soft to hearing your words, kind toward others, learning their stories and hearing their hearts, and always full of hope in You. In Jesus’ Name, my Savior and my Teacher, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries 

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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