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Gleanings From The Word

Category: Prayer

  • Psalm 25: Teach Me Your Ways, Lord

    A meditating spot overlooking the ocean. A place to think on God's teaching

    This morning, I’ve been reading in Psalm 25. It seemed a natural place after reading Psalm 24. I’m just going to camp on one small section of the Psalm this morning, so let me give you an overview of the entire thing first. It’s worth reading and meditating on. 

    Psalm 25 opens with David lifting his soul to the Lord and trusting Him not to let him be put to shame before his enemies. From there he asks God to teach him, to lead him in truth, and to remember him according to mercy rather than the sins of his youth. He pauses to reflect on who God is: good, upright, ready to instruct sinners and guide the humble.

    Then the urgency returns. David cries out for God to look on his affliction, forgive his sin, and deliver him from his enemies because he has taken refuge in the Lord. He doesn’t stop with himself either; he closes by asking God to redeem all of Israel out of their troubles. The prayer moves from trust, to teaching, to reflection, to rescue, and finally outward to the whole people of God.

    Like David, we often find ourselves in situations where we need help and refuge. We call out and He answers. But David does more than call out to YAHWEH for help; he asks God to teach Him.

    Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

    teach me your paths.

    Lead me in your truth and teach me,

    for you are the God of my salvation;

    for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:4-5 ESV

    God is so much more than a cosmic genie to bail us out of trouble and keep us out of hell. Our faith walk is more than crying out to God when we have a need. The Lord wants to be in a relationship with us and to make us more like Jesus.

    The lord loves those with humble hearts who seek Him and His desires. He loves to teach us His ways and sanctify us. The more we become like Christ, the more freely we call out to Him; we crave His presence, not just think of Him as an afterthought when we are in trouble.

    I know who I am without the Lord at work in my life. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want the fruit of the Spirit to show abundantly in my life.

    Lord, teach me to judge less and extend grace and forgiveness more easily. Teach me to keep my mouth closed to inappropriate things and to allow words of blessing to come forth. Make me kind and generous, learning to put others first rather than thinking that I’m the center of the universe and everything is about me. Create in me a clean heart. Teach me to be faithful.

    Thank you for the Spirit and the Word. Thank you that I’m not who I once was and that you are transforming me into who you call me to be.

    May we be like David and seek the Lord’s face and to be transformed into His image.

    May you be blessed today,

    Kevin

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    SUMMARY

    This morning I’m reading in Psalm 25 and camping on David’s request that God teach him His ways, not just rescue him from trouble. I’m reminded that a relationship with the Lord means wanting to be shaped into Christ’s likeness, not just calling on Him when I need help.

    TAKEAWAY

    Psalm 25 moves from trust, to teaching, to reflection on God’s character, to urgent rescue, and finally outward to all of Israel.

    David asks God to teach him His ways in Psalm 25:4-5, showing that our faith is about more than calling out to God in crisis.

    The Lord wants to sanctify us and grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, not just answer our prayers for deliverance.

    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone) 

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  • Star Light Prayers

    Star Filled Sky

    I had a hard time falling asleep last night, so I moved to the living room. I sat in my recliner and watched the stars. There are many nights when they can’t be seen because we live in a coastal rainforest and the clouds cover them.

    As my mind wandered, I imagined the little pinpricks of light given by the stars were prayers. Maybe a silly image, but our prayers go up nonstop to the Lord, day and night, around the globe.

    Our world today is covered with much darkness. Evil abounds. Our moral foundation is eroding more quickly than a sand castle succumbs to a rising tide. Violence is regarded as entertainment. Corruption is apparent at all levels of business, education, government and even at times in the church.

    People claim to be looking out for number one but have sold themselves into bondage for more “stuff” that they neither truly want or need. Parents work extreme hours for the children they don’t even know. 

    If we were quiet long enough, I’m certain we could almost hear the laughter of Satan as he watches us chase illusion. He doesn’t care what we pursue as long as its not the thin gs of God.

    Satan loves the darkness. It is his realm. Since he could not rule the world of light, he hides in the dark and tries to destroy those who love the light. He hides in the dark of night, but he prefers the dark of our minds. He knows very well how to manipulate our dark, sin filled nature to his advantage.

    The dark won’t last forever though. I’m convinced the pinpricks are the prayers of the saints going up to God. I know the time will come when He will answer with a tearing away the very fabric of darkness.

    His Word promises a time of no more night.

    Then he showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will serve Him; and they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night, and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will reign forever and ever.
    Revelation 22:1-5 

    In the meantime, keep those prayers headed upwards to tear the very fabric of evil. Our Lord has already overcome. The contest was never in doubt.

    Be blessed
    Kevin

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