Lord, Have Your Way

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Psalm 143:10

How often, when you pray do you ask the Lord to teach you verses leaving a request for His deliverance, power or presences to be manifested in your life…? Today’s devotion reminds us of the importance of prayer as we deal with learning the very will and divine plan of God… So many of us forget to pray when we feel like we can handle something and we hurry up and pray when the weight becomes unbearable… This verse simple teaches that we can avoid trying to bear an unnecessary weight if we first get in tune with the will of God… David was a man who made many mistakes; from adultery with Bathsheba to having Uriah killed on the front line to even fleeing Saul right into the enemy’s camp; the list of David’s mistakes goes on and on; however, through all these things David learned a great listen which he teaches us today so that we don’t have to travel the same path which he did… In your life, stop trying to figure things out on your own, stop trying to handle every situation that approaches your doorstep and stop being stubborn with your will when it doesn’t align with God’s… This last point is the one which causes the most trouble to occur in our lives… We don’t desire to know God’s will because we are scared that it will be different than ours… I have heard so many people quote Isaiah 55 when others endure trials and tribulations, but these same people never apply it to their lives when they are in the midst of a hardship… In Isaiah, verses 8 and 9 say, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The word of God teaches us that His will is not the will which we are born with; however, these same people I spoke of previously will endure hell on earth instead of believing the will and plan of God which will lead them down a different path of life… I firmly believe that David would have spared Uriah’s life even after committing adultery if he had turn to the Lord and cried out to Him as he did in the beginning of this psalm… The 1^st verse of the 143^rd psalm says, Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 

This very prayer acknowledges who God is and the mercy which we all need Him to bestow upon us… If we know that we need mercy (withholding of a just punishment) in our lives; we should also be able to come to the conclusion that we need to be taught His will so that we can avoid mistakes... In asking God to teach you His will, you are humbling yourself before the Lord in total submission to Him… David had never completely submitted to the Lord which is why He endured the temptations that led to the loss of his firstborn son… You can learn the right path, you can have your eyes opened and light pointed in the darkest areas of your life; however, the first thing you must do is acknowledge that Jesus is your God…So many of us have not actually taken this step; we may proclaim it verbally to our peers or even in church, but our lives reflect a different answer… Notice what David says, he starts off by saying teach me your will and then says for you are my God… If you don’t recognize that God is your God, how can He teach you His will and plan for your life… You must lay yourself before the Lord in total submission to Him in order for Him to begin to impart knowledge, wisdom and power upon you… The greatest example of this is Jesus Christ… In the garden of Gethsemane, the bible records that he laid prostrate before the Lord 3 times… When Judas came to betray Him, He was able to willingly be arrested and even heal the ear of a soldier which was struck by one of His disciples… There is power, peace and direction within the teaching of God’s will… You can endure the most trying situation when you know the will of God, you can go through the most treacherous storms when you are in the will of God and you can overcome the steepest of mountains when you are walking in the divine will of God… David defeated Goliath, outlasted Saul and received Solomon as his second child from Bathsheba… This came about because he sought the Lord at the loss of his firstborn, repented of His sins and recognized that God was God… You can transform your situation; you can alter your circumstances and change your direction in life… The will of God will give you a sound mind; it will give you peace amidst the storm and make ways out of no ways… Ask Him to teach you His will and when you are confused in lost, don’t turn to others or try to figure it out on your own; look up and request that the good Spirit lead me on level ground.” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!