What are you learning in prayer?

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Scripture:

Psa. 25:4      ¶ Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
        teach me your paths.
Psa. 25:5     Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
        for you are the God of my salvation;
        for you I wait all day long.

Observation:

Here we have just a little bit of insight into the prayer life of the Psalmist.  His desire is to know the LORD, and in doing so to be able to follow the LORD’s paths throughout life.  The LORD’s truth is THE truth that is needed for life, that teaches us in the ways to go.  The Psalmist wants to follow the God who brings salvation — and this relationship is worth it.  For this we are willing to wait all day long!

Application:

What am I learning in prayer?  Too often we think that prayer is the time when we bring our needs before the Father, however there is so much more!  Prayer is the time in which we allow God to teach us, to mold us and to make us into his holy people.  Prayer is more about us listening and learning from the LORD, than it is about us asking him for things.  This becomes obvious in the prayer of the Psalmist. 

Yes, this prayer does have requests but they are about the depths of his relationship with the Father.  The Psalmist’s desire is to know God.  Is that my desire?  Do I want to know God with all my heart — to the extent that his ways are my ways?  That’s what happens when we get to know the LORD — and then he reveals to us his pathways.

So often I hear people who are praying about wanting to know God’s will for their life.  God’s will is that you would know the Father!  It is in knowing the Father that we discover the pathway for life for it becomes revealed in our relationship with him.  Without spending time getting to know God we will not understand his passion and desires for us.  It takes time to simply trust in him and soak in his holy presence.

The result is that we are led in his truth and this is what we desire because we know that it leads to our salvation.  The other paths lead us astray — but knowing God’s truth and teaching means that we are led in a way that leads to life.  That is true in the eternal sense but it also true in regard to our personal lives.  How often does the way of the world lead to death?  We’ve read far too much lately about the celebrities who have died because of the way of the world!

How long are you willing to wait on the LORD?  Be willing to sit in his holy presence and learn from him.  It’s not about our list of prayer requests, but rather is about our desire to know him.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to slow down and soak in you.  Amen.





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