How Do I Find God’s Way?
Show me Your Ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4, 5
When our circumstances are urgent, extreme, and bleak, we need to know God’s way… but how? David wrote this psalm under dire circumstances; his son Absalom had rebelled against him and desired his throne, even his life. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” David didn’t know what to do, so he turned to God.
David teaches us that when God leads us in His way, it typically involves three things. First, there is the issue of what we want. David said, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.” David wanted to be led by the Lord. Many times we don’t really want God to show us His ways; what we really want is for God to approve of and affirm our ways. When God, who knows our hearts, sees that we really want Him to lead us, then He will lead us. What caused David to want God’s way? He understood how destitute he was.
A second thing involved is our will. David not only wanted God’s ways and God’s paths, he was willing to follow God’s leadership. Without the involvement of the will, the first pebble in the path trips us up. God has never promised us health and wealth if we follow Him. He wants us to follow Him no matter what. Why would God show you His way when you are unwilling to follow His way? David said, “Lead me in Your truth and teach me,” showing us that guidance in God’s way begins with a willingness to submit to the Word of God.
Third, experiencing God’s leading may require us to wait. David demonstrated his desire and his willingness by his patience. David said, “On You I wait all the day.” This is where many of us fail. We become impatient and act without God’s guidance, and then complain when things go wrong. Let us remember that God is never in a hurry and that waiting on God is never a waste of time. Show God your desire to learn His ways, your will to follow Him, and your resolve to wait on Him, and He will bless you with His wisdom, truth, and guidance.
Oh Lord, I am so lacking and destitute. Guard me, guide me, and grace me, oh God of my salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dr. Richard Mark Lee, McKinney, TX