S8P7 – The journey of Psalm 143: the lesson

Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

David’s prayer in this verse goes from asking God to act to asking God to teach him to act. David recognizes God’s desire to work with him instead of simply for him. Walking with God is a partnership of sorts. The goal is what David says, God’s will, but that does not necessarily mean that God works alone while we wait. There is always something for us to do and learn in the process.

The prayer to learn how to do God’s will has at least two goals. First, it is a request for God to teach us what He desires for our lives. His will can be general in the sense of following the commands He gives everyone or specific to a task He has for one certain person to accomplish. Beyond leading us in living the lives God wishes for us, learning His will also gives us greater insight into His character. To know God’s will is to know His heart. The more we know God’s heart, the easier to discern His will.

Praying for God’s lessons is vital to the Christian walk. When we ask God to act on our behalf, we must acknowledge that there is a lesson to be learned in every situation. We should pray into learning those lessons so that we may regularly practice remaining in God’s will. Father, teach us to do Your will so that we may walk as You would have us walk and learn more of Your character daily.