Teach Me Lord – Psalm 119.33-40

     There are days when I cannot remember how to do anything, and in those moments I long for someone to teach me again how to complete, sometimes the simplest of tasks. Life is fun that way when we think we have all the answers, a problem will arise and remind us we do not. In the passage in Psalms, the Psalmist reminds us where we should go for a proper education, “the Lord” (vs. 33).
      In the first six verses of the Psalm we see a kind of request—result given by the Psalmist:

1. Teach me the meaning of Your statutes—I will always keep them
2. Help me understand Your Instruction—I will obey it and follow it with all my heart
3. Help me stay on the path of Your commands—I take pleasure in it
4. Turn my heart to Your decrees—not to material gain
5. Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless—give life in Your ways
6. Confirm what You said to Your servant—It produces reverence for You

      Notice how each one of these are directed toward God, asking Him for some type of guidance or directions with words like; Teach, Understand, Stay, Turn and Confirm.  All of these help us realize only God can give the proper instruction for us each and every day. This is why Jesus said to His disciples,
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper (Holy Spirit) will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes (Holy Spirit), he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16.7-15, ESV, emphasis added).[1]
      The Holy Spirit living inside us is our guide, our interpreter, and our teacher. However, He cannot do His job if you will not open the textbook and read it. This is why the Psalmist asked God to turn away the disgrace which he feared. Such as, the potential for failure or inability to complete a task or the thought that you are just a loser. Any of these things can cause us and God great disgrace and whether we want to admit it or not we are all afraid of failure. When we realize God’s judgements are good, His ways are better than our ways, His thoughts are better than our thoughts (Isaiah 55.8-9) then we can trust what God is doing in our life is for our own good and it will teach us how to be a better person and have a closer relationship with Him.  
      In the end, when all the teaching is done, when you are sitting back and thinking of how the day has gone what do you really long for? Are you longing for the ways of God? For His precepts? These are the things that give your life meaning and purpose by the power of His righteousness.
 
Application
 

1. Where do you get your Biblical Learning from? I know the easy answer is Church, but I am not asking you to give the easy answer. Think for a moment, when a Biblical question comes who do you turn to for the answer and why? Take a few moments to think about this answer and write it out?
2. Are you allowing the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak to you when you study God’s Holy  Word? For this to happen this requires time, space and some meditation on what God is saying in the passage you are reading. Ask God to give you the wisdom and patience to listen to the Holy Spirit today. “Dear Father, I need your help today, I want to know more about You from Your Holy Word. Help me to listen to the Holy Spirit as He teaches me what Your Word says to me today. Help me to mediate on Your Word and use it throughout the day. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
3. Try and set aside 15 minutes each day to spend in God’s Word, reading, praying and mediating on what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. If you have time journal what God is saying to you as well.

 
Prayer
 
        Almighty God Maker of Heaven and Earth thank You for this wonderful day You have made. Thank You for this time You have given me to spend reading and studying Your Word. Lord, help me to pay more attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying in my life. I know He is speaking to me not just when I open Your Word, but also throughout the day. Help me to be more in tune with Him and Him with me. Thank You for Your Son and His sacrifice on the Cross, for paying my penalty for my sins, without Him I would be nothing. Give me wisdom for this day, all this I pray in Your Son’s Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.


[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 16:7–15). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.