“Show me Your ways, O 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 the day long.” –Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)
Many of us may be like the young boy whose pastor asked him: “Do you pray every night before you go to sleep and every morning before you go to school or play?” “Not every night, and not every morning,” the boy replied. “Sometimes I don’t pray because I don’t need anything.”
So often, like the little lad, we think of prayer as “asking only.” Prayer is asking, but much more. Prayer is the soul’s communication with Father God. Praying can happen anytime we still our minds and turn God-ward. Someone aptly stated that prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. The Psalmist in today’s cited verses is praying—as we often do—in an asking mode. In these verses are both petition and adoration. The asking, the petition, is for guidance: “Show me Your ways; teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth, teach me.” God stands ready to help each sincere seeker with these four goals. He accomplishes that through His Word and with assurance of answered prayer. Within these verses is adoration: “You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all the day long.” This is such a powerful testimony that I want to write the verse with an exclamation mark at the end!
If we read Psalm 25 in the original Hebrew language, we would see that each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an acrostic poem. Scholars have noted that because of the format, David (ascribed author) did not transition smoothly between ideas. But he was consistent in his theme of trust in God and in his plea for guidance and forgiveness of sin. Psalm 25:4-5 would be good verses for us to memorize if we have not already. We need the Lord’s guidance every day we live. To pray scripture pleases God. When we pray for guidance, we usually want an immediate answer, but sometimes we have to wait, weigh the pros and cons of a decision. When we have assurance in our hearts that the way we are going is of the Lord, then we can move forward. I have been talking recently to a friend who is about to launch a new business venture with his son. In this period of economic decline, many factors enter into such a major decision. The person feels that the Holy Spirit is leading him in the decision and in the groundwork. Lance Webb in “The Art of Personal Prayer” states: “Keep up the life of inward worship throughout the day. Let prayer be your last act before you fall asleep and the first act when you awake. And in time you will find, as did Brother Lawrence, that ‘those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep.’” Be bold in praying for guidance from the Lord.
Many of us may be like the young boy whose pastor asked him: “Do you pray every night before you go to sleep and every morning before you go to school or play?” “Not every night, and not every morning,” the boy replied. “Sometimes I don’t pray because I don’t need anything.”
So often, like the little lad, we think of prayer as “asking only.” Prayer is asking, but much more. Prayer is the soul’s communication with Father God. Praying can happen anytime we still our minds and turn God-ward. Someone aptly stated that prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate. The Psalmist in today’s cited verses is praying—as we often do—in an asking mode. In these verses are both petition and adoration. The asking, the petition, is for guidance: “Show me Your ways; teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth, teach me.” God stands ready to help each sincere seeker with these four goals. He accomplishes that through His Word and with assurance of answered prayer. Within these verses is adoration: “You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all the day long.” This is such a powerful testimony that I want to write the verse with an exclamation mark at the end!
If we read Psalm 25 in the original Hebrew language, we would see that each verse begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an acrostic poem. Scholars have noted that because of the format, David (ascribed author) did not transition smoothly between ideas. But he was consistent in his theme of trust in God and in his plea for guidance and forgiveness of sin. Psalm 25:4-5 would be good verses for us to memorize if we have not already. We need the Lord’s guidance every day we live. To pray scripture pleases God. When we pray for guidance, we usually want an immediate answer, but sometimes we have to wait, weigh the pros and cons of a decision. When we have assurance in our hearts that the way we are going is of the Lord, then we can move forward. I have been talking recently to a friend who is about to launch a new business venture with his son. In this period of economic decline, many factors enter into such a major decision. The person feels that the Holy Spirit is leading him in the decision and in the groundwork. Lance Webb in “The Art of Personal Prayer” states: “Keep up the life of inward worship throughout the day. Let prayer be your last act before you fall asleep and the first act when you awake. And in time you will find, as did Brother Lawrence, that ‘those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep.’” Be bold in praying for guidance from the Lord.
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