When we truly comprehend the depth of God's love for us and His guidance in leading us on the right path, we are even more motivated and inspired to seek Him and know His ways. And this is the reason David prayed this prayer in Psalm 86:11-13, "Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead." The more we understand the ways of God and who He is, the more our faith in Him is strengthened. David asked for an undivided heart because he wanted to honor God with everything that he did by being faithful to walk in God's ways. He didn't want his heart to be divided between walking in sin and walking in God's ways. David's desire was only to walk in God's ways because that is where he could find life, security, and blessings.
As believers in our Lord Jesus, we are obligated by God to know Him personally through His Word so that our faith in Him continues to grow and strengthen. There was a group of climbers who had been training together to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. As they were training together, they got to know their leader personally. As a result, their confidence in their leader grew as they learned and understood his knowledge and capabilities in climbing the tallest mountain in the world. When they were finally ready to climb Mount Everest, they were confident of their leader to lead them to climb Mount Everest. The point of the story is that the climbers are willing to follow the leadership of their leader through the dangerous adventure of climbing Mount Everest because they know him.
The more we know God, the more we will trust Him. Understanding His ways is important for us to be strong in our faith in God, and God has graciously given us the Bible as a guide to help us do so. We also need to have an undivided heart in order to truly know Him.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What happens when I know God's ways? Why is it important to have an undivided heart to know God? Why did God provide me a Bible?
Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, please continue to teach me your ways through your Word so that I may walk in them and my faith in you is strengthened. Please give me an undivided heart to know you and follow your ways so that I will not stray away from you. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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