Morons don’t develop.”
–Zane Grey (Lost Pueblo)
“Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight…”
–Exodus 33:13 (HCSB)
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Since Memorial Day put me a little off schedule I will resume Psalm 143 this morning. Have you ever brought an urgent need to the Lord? One that needs an answer immediately? This Psalm finds David in that situation; he needs the Lord, he needs an answer, he needs help.
7 — Answer me speedily, O LORD; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down into the pit.
8 — Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.
9 — Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; in You I take shelter.
10 — Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
11 — Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 — In Your mercy cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul; for I am Your servant. (NKJV)
If God hides His face from us, especially in our dire circumstances, all that is left for us is the pit. David realizes it and cries out to the Lord; he needs and wants God’s lovingkindness, or unfailing love. This should be part of our prayer every morning. The night is dark, as may be our soul, and we long for a new morning. When the dawn comes he not only sees a new day, but there is a new dawning in his spiritual life. Look at that prayer–show me the way I should walk. In other words, he wants each step he takes to be ordered and guided by the Lord.
But there is more to it than just a prayer. Praying that God shows us the way, we then have to take the step. If we pray for God’s lovingkindness upon us, we then must show kindness during the day. Vincent Alsop said, “Knowledge without obedience is lame. Obedience without knowledge is blind; and we must never hope for acceptance if we offer the blind and the lame to God.” If sin has led us astray and we know it, then we must repent and obey. If we know the path before us, then we must obey and walk in it.
Verse 10 is a powerful lesson that we should take to heart. David cries for the Lord to teach him the right way, teach him to do his will. However, when we know the will of God, when we have been properly taught and trained, we must then do His will. If we truly want to be led by the Lord, if we really want to be His disciple we must understand that discipleship implies apprenticeship. James Merritt proclaims, “You don’t just learn facts from a teacher; you pattern your entire life after them.” To be relieved from the pit, from the agony of despair we must realize that “genuine happiness is to be found in following the pathway of obedience.” (Alistair Begg)
Look at those last three verses again. David understands that his “confidence lies not in his own strength but in the fact that he is the Lord’s servant. To attack God’s servant is to attack God.” (Steven Lawson) Think of this. When we are attacked for one reason or another it is really an attack on our heavenly Father. To attack His child is to attack Him and He will defend His family name. George Wood repeats David’s plea in a prayer, “Lord Jesus, unless You act for me, I will be destroyed, my enemies will prosper and justice will be trampled on…” If not for the Lord intervening the devil would have his way with us, we would also be agents of our own destruction. Oh, how we need the Lord!
“When doubts and fears arise,
Teach me thy way!
When storm clouds fill the skies,
Teach me thy way!
Shine through the wind and rain,
Through sorrow, grief and pain;
Make now my pathway plain,
Teach me thy way!”
–B. Mansell Ramsey