Though we sometimes make a mess of our walk with Christ, the committed believer desires to follow after Him. Jesus was clear when He said to His disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23, KJV). Amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to lose sight of the path we should be walking in. Truth be known, at times it seems there are so many paths before us that if the child of God is not careful, we can easily choose any number of them that lead us away from the “expected end” God promises for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). There is only one acceptable way and that is the way of Christ.
As I reflected on Jesus’ words, I was reminded of the Psalmist’s prayer, “Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth, and teach me. For You are the God of my salvation; on You, I will wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5, NKJV). In his commentary on this portion of the Scriptures, Bible Scholar Adam Clarke writes, “The psalmist wishes to know God’s way, to be taught his path, and to be led into his truth. He cannot discern this way unless God shows it; he cannot learn the path unless God teaches it; and he cannot walk in God’s truth unless God leads him: and even then, unless God continues to teach, he shall never fully learn the lessons of his salvation; therefore, he adds, ‘Lead me in [Your] truth, and teach me.’ That he may get this showing, teaching, and leading, he comes to God, as the ‘God of his salvation;’ and that he may not lose his labor, he ‘waits on him all the day.’”
True discipleship requires that every believer seek God’s ways and His truths, and the best way to do that is to ask Him to show us. Every step we take, every decision we have to make, we need His guidance. Not only does He care about us, He cares about everything that pertains to us. John Milton was right when he said, “Who brought me hither [here] will bring me hence [there]; no other guide I seek.”
One of the prayer songs that has been a big part of my life, Show Me You Ways, as sung by Darlene Zschech, has the words: “Show me Your ways, that way I may walk with You / Show me Your ways, I put my hope in You / The cry of my heart is to love You more / To live with the touch of Your hand / Stronger each day, show me Your ways.” Won’t you join me in that prayer?
