Teach Me, Help Me, Seek Me – Psalm 119.169-176

      In our lives there are many things we each must learn; the question is will we learn them the easy way or the hard way. God has given us His Word to guide us through our life, along a path that will keep us safe and secure. When we decide to deviate from His path then we find ourselves in trouble. It is in those times when we cry out to God to save us from whatever mess we have made and wonder why God allowed us to get into such trouble in the first place.
      In these concluding verses of this, the longest Psalm, the Psalmist pleads with the Lord to be heard, not so his problems can be taken care of, but so he can gain a better understanding of God’s Word. So he can find deliverance in God’s promises, and be taught by God about His statutes. The Psalmist uses words like, my cry, my plea, my lips, and my tongue to express his deep feelings for the emotional state he is in when he is reaching out to God. What kind of emotional state are you in when you reach out to God? Are you in just a so so mood, that it does not really matter if God responds? Or, are you desiring a deep emotional connection to God, seeking His face with earnestness?
      Just as the Psalmist, we must want a response, desire a response, and cannot go on without one. It is through God’s responses that we, just as the Psalmist, learn more about God, as He gives us understanding, teaches us, shows us His promises and proves all His commands are right. Believing in God’s trustworthiness helps us to know and understand how God is ready to help us when we call upon Him, especially when we are willing to obey His precepts.
      There is a nursery rhyme, “Little Bo-Peep”
                 Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
                 and doesn't know where to find them;
                 leave them alone, And they'll come home,
                 wagging (bringing) their tails behind them.[1]
      What a cute nursery rhyme, however, how untrue it is. You see sheep left to themselves will never come home. They need a shepherd to come and find them and bring them back into the fold; otherwise something bad is bound to happen to them. The Psalmist says, “I long for Your salvation, Let my soul live and praise You, I have gone astray like a lost sheep, seek Your servant…” (vs. 174-176). He is expressing his connection to God, and his dependence of the Heavenly Father. Without this connection the Psalmist is a lost sheep and needs to be found.      
       He will not find his own way back, and neither will we. We need a Savior to bring us back into the fold. Jesus said, “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10.2-5, ESV).[2] Sheep only follow their master, they only go where they are told, and if they wander off, they need someone to come and look for them. Unlike Little Bo-Peep, God always knows where His sheep are, all we have to do is listen for His voice and come to Him. Otherwise, He will come seek us out, bringing us back into the fold for His glory.
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Application
 

1. What kind of emotional connection do you have with your Heavenly Father? I am not talking about tears and such, but are you deeply connected to Him or do you have a superficial relationship with Him. Take some time today and assess where your relationship with God is and ask Him how you can get it back on track.
2. Are you allowing God to teach you His Word, to Help you understand His Ways, and show you His promises? His Word is full of great things to help you live your life each day but you must allow God to help you grow in Him. Read and reflect on II Timothy 3.16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3.16-17, HCSB). [3] What do these verses say about allowing God’s Word to teach us and why?
3. In your life you might feel lost, or out of place, God is seeking you out, desiring for you to come back to Him. Remember your life and joy is found in your relationship with the Heavenly Father. Search Him and Know Him and He will guide your path.

 
Prayer
 
      Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for this wonderful day, and all You have made in it. Lord I thank You for allowing me to learn more about You through Your wonderful and amazing Word. Lord continue to teach me and help me to understand Your promises. Lord I know Your Word is truth and therefore, is worthy of Praise, glory and honor. But more than that it brings life to all who will come to You. Continue to search me out, and guide me to a closer relationship with You oh, Lord. I will drift and move from the path You have laid for me, but with Your help I can return and walk as You have intended. Lord thank You again for Your Son and His amazing sacrifice on the cross, it is in His name, the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Bo-Peep#cite_note-Opie1997-1
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 10:2–5). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (2 Ti 3:16–17). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.