Teach Me Your Ways (Psalm 86)

Posted on August 7, 2020

David prays asking God for 8 different things in 11 requests in this Psalm of prayer to God.

He asks that God would bend down to hear him praying (vs1,6)
He asks for God to save his life (vs2,16)
He asks that God would show him grace (vs3,6,16)
He asks for more joy in his life (vs4)
He prays that God would teach him His ways so that He could walk in them (vs11)
He asks for an undivided heart that would fear God tightly (vs11)
He prays for God to strengthen him (vs16)
He prays for God’s answer to these prayers to show his enemies that he is God’s and that God is his helper/saviour (vs17)

I identify with David’s 5th & 6th requests in particular. I love his prayer; “TEACH ME YOUR WAYS GOD”.

This is one of David’s prayers that encapsulates the prayer of my life. Through all of life’s circumstances, situations we face and endure, what I want is to know more of WHO God is, WHAT pleases my God, knowing more of HOW God thinks about me and situations. I see an echo in David’s prayer in the similar statement of the apostle Paul when he declares to the Philippians; “I want to know Christ”…

This is the passion in my heart, to God more and more and more. To learn God’s ways, God’s heart and then to please God and to align my life to God’s ways – to be on God’s path not my own.

These prayers and desires are even in the name of our church – Reconciliation Road Church. It’s the idea of the Christian’s life to be a WALK on God’s path; the ‘Jesus journey’. That’s the path I want always to be on and the path I want to inspire others to walk on too!

And David knows that to learn God’s ways, to stay on God’s path and not his own, he needed to pray that God would give him an undivided heart. A heart that reverently feared God kept God in His rightful place as Holy Father, Almighty God.

Reverence is in short supply in the Christian church these days; there is so much lukewarmness and familiarity in believers towards our Holy God. I pray for my life and our lives that we would love and revere God, never losing sight of WHO He is. That reverent awe and wonder keeps me from sin and inspires me to worship.

Teach me Your ways oh Lord. Amen