PSALM 25:1–15 Teach Me Your Paths
READ: PSALM 25:1–15
v. 4 “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.”
Do you ever feel lost? As you walk with the LORD, do you sometimes veer off the path? David felt that way too and wrote Psalm 25 in part to ask the LORD to teach him his ways (v. 4).
Why would David ask the LORD to instruct him in his ways? Were the laws of God not clear? Of course, the laws of God were clear. David speaks highly of the testimonies of God (v. 10). But David also knew that he was a sinner and that he had a tendency to stray from the path. He remembers the sins of his youth and his transgressions (v. 7). If you think about it, David is actually asking the LORD to protect him from following his own sinful desires!
This is important for us to keep in mind. We often pray that the Lord would “keep sin far away from us,” but that makes it sound as if sin is a danger outside of us that we should try to avoid. In reality, sin is within our hearts. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies! For this reason, the Lord Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This means: Help us to deny our own will and without murmuring obey your will for it alone is good (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 49).
Psalm 25 teaches us that the LORD is good and upright and that he is willing to instruct sinners in the way to go (v. 8). Praise God for giving us his Son Jesus Christ through whom we have forgiveness of sins. Praise God for also giving us the Spirit of Christ to teach us how we should live a God-pleasing life.
Are you committed to doing this? If so, you will continually pray for guidance. You will also do your best to study “the way” as it is revealed in the Bible. You will want to know more about the teaching and the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may learn from him and follow his example. Remember the promise of verse 14: “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
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