The Way ~ Psalm 143

“Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love…Make me know the way I should go…Teach me to do Your will…Let Your good Spirit lead me” Psalm 143:8a, 8b, 10a, 10b ESV

There is a right way and there is a wrong way.  There is a good way and there is a bad way.  And yes, there is a way to grow closer to God and a way to grow distant from God.  And believe it or not, in a world that preaches an aloof, indifferent, distant God, God Himself tells us very clearly how we can hear from Him, know the path He has for us to walk in this world, know His will for our lives, and then be led in His willful way.  Yet as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.  So, the million-dollar question is…are you willing to not only be led to God’s water, but then to get busy and do some drinking?

It never ceases to amaze me how many people in this world know at least some of God’s Word…from memory.  As I am out and about here in Mexico telling people how much Jesus loves them, I usually quote a few verses, leaning heavily on John 14:6, John 3:16, and John 1:12.  And it’s always fascinating to hear people jump in and finish the verses with me from memory.  Yet further along in the conversation the same mouth that quoted God’s Word from memory is the same mouth to deny Him and the fact that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation.  Why the colossal disconnect?  How can you commit something to the mind and then not be willing to believe it in your heart or be willing to do it with your hands?

Well, regardless of that profoundly deep question, we find here in Psalm 143 quite possibly one of the easiest Godly formulas for finding and following God.  That is, if you will do it.  Whether it be someone that is desiring to initially find God or someone that is currently a disciple of Christ and ever committed to continually knowing His ways better, here are four steps that will never disappoint the heart that is searching for God.  That is, if you will do them (did I already say that?)

1) Hearing in the morning. “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love.” Psalm 143:8a

Any breakfast cereal company will gladly tell you how important it is to start your day with a good breakfast.  So, if it is factually proven in the physical world that we should feed our bodies to start our day, why do so many start out their day spiritually starving?  As we engage with verse 8, it is appropriate to pause and do some deep and super honest self-searching and ask yourself how and with what you are starting off the 365 mornings that God gifts you each year.  Do you start off your mornings by immediately feeding on the news, Facebook, Instagram, work tasks, reliving the problems of your yesterday, or maybe even feeding on anxiety, not over the day that just dawned, but your coming tomorrow?  You see, just as a sprinter sets the tone for his race by how well he leaves the starting blocks, the disciple of Christ sets the tone of their day by how they connect with Christ when they first rise.  For the follower of Christ, each morning should revolve around quiet time to be still and hear of the steadfast (constant) love of God.  And to do that you need to be alone, quiet in your soul, focused on hearing from God, ready to confess your sin against God, and then ready to listen intensively as God speaks to you.  Friends in Christ, if you are starting out your day any other way, you are not starting it in the manner in which God intends and tells us of in Psalm 143:8.  If you are serious about hearing from God, get serious about hearing from Him as soon as your feet hit the floor each morning.  Then watch the following 3 steps play out in the day that follows.

2) Be obedient to what you hear.  “Make me know the way I should go.” Psalm 143:8b

Here is where that horse led to water shows its true color.  If anything, we humans are stubborn.  The question is, will you allow your stubbornness to disavow you the opportunity to walk where God intends you to walk.  If we are honest, we have all had experiences of knowing that we shouldn’t have taken the path we did, but we did.  Folks, God desires His best for you.  He desires to speak to you every morning and fill you with His wisdom and foresight for the paths you will be walking in that very day.  And this process is not nearly as cryptic and mystic as the world will tell you it is.  Simply sit with God in the morning and listen to His Words to you with an adoring heart.  Then write down what He speaks to you.  And then as your day plays out, consistently consult God’s directions He gave you with unconditional obedience.  But this only works if you ditch the stubborn attitude and actually do what God says. (I feel like I have said this before.)

3) Be a student. “Teach me to do your will.” Psalm 143:10a

A student is only a student if they are willing to be taught.  Just ask any schoolteacher and they will tell you their classrooms are full, not of students, but of young bodies that are simply taking up space because they are unwilling to learn.  And folks, it is no different with God.  Are you willing to be taught by God today? Or do you already know it all?  Or do you think you know enough to be good enough?  Or are you simply living, no more willing to learn?  You see, a good student must possess traits and qualities that make them a good student.  Good students listen attentively to the teacher, they take good notes, they repetitively practice what they learn so they can do it well, and most importantly, they have an attitude of one that knows they are lacking in true knowledge and wisdom and must gain it…at all costs from their teacher.

4) Be a follower. “Let you good Spirit lead me” Psalm 143:10b

We find here in this last step a beautiful culmination in the way to walk closer with God daily.  First, we have risen early in the morning to be still, quiet, and intensively listen to God through His Holy Words to us.  Secondly, we committed our obedience to the Lord as He makes known to us the ways in which He desires our feet to fall in the day.  Then thirdly, we as students learn from the Lord, consuming His character, His history, His behavior, and His commands.  And then we come to this, the fourth and final step.  We become simple and loyal followers of Christ.  And folks, be honest, this is where our human sin nature rears its ugly head the most.  We as human sheep refuse to follow anyone, anywhere, anytime. We would much rather go our own way.  (Isaiah 53:6)

I’m not sure how being a rebel became so popular, but it has.  Especially in the United States, we see our rebellion from England not as a victory in independence, but in our ability to rebel successfully.  And friends, there is a point where we can start taking sinful pride in our independence and rebellion against whatever stands in front of us.  Yet when it comes to God, we must put this ugly aspect of self to death daily and simply admit that God is God and we are not.  His ways are high and ours are low.  His thoughts are high and ours are low. (Isaiah 55:8-9) And only out of this honest admission of deference to the Lord can we become the followers of Christ that God desires.

Start out your day by going to God.  Make time for Him before anything else, then honor that time and fight for that time.  Simply sit in the still of the morning and revel and cherish the time that God allows you to sit at His feet.  And as you enjoy that time with the Lord, tell Him that you commit to be obedient to however He directs you in your day.  Now that you have heard His directions and committed to do them, study the path He has directed you to.  For in this way it is possible to learn as a student, to learn the ways in which God desires you to walk not just in your today, but in your many tomorrows.  And, as this all comes together, simply follow God.  Follow Him along the easy, pleasant path.  Follow Him along the hard, steep path.  Follow Him through the highs and lows, the peaks and valleys, the good times and bad.  Simply follow Him, knowing that your daily journey is possible because of one promising aspect…God is always with you and ready to connect with you day by day, morning by morning.

Blessings to you as seek to move ever closer to Almighty God ~ Dan

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” James 4:8a ESV

"You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart" Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

 "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth" Psalm 145:18a ESV

"boat names", Playa Panteón, Oaxaca, Mexico