Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11, ESV)  

When you need God’s wisdom, do you ask him to teach you? God deeply desires that you fill your soul with his Truth. King David, who wrote Psalm 86, says, “Teach me…O Lord.” He desires to fully agree with the Lord’s desire—learning God’s ways and walking in God’s Truth. David wants to journey on God’s road, called Truth.

Next, David asks God, “Unite my heart.” Interestingly, he doesn’t ask God, “Unite my heart with your love” or “Unite my heart with your grace.” Instead, his prayer is for God to “Unite my heart to fear your name.” David doesn’t want any part of his heart to be disloyal or distracted. He desires to have whole-hearted reverence as he walks with God. This should inspire us!

King David prayed, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” He asked to be taught and willingly became a student. He began by acknowledging the Lord’s way, God’s truth, an undivided heart, and the fear of the Lord were all wondrous gifts sent from God. The magnetic strength of the Holy Spirit gently nudges us to follow God’s path while still giving us the free will to choose His way and His truth.

 rebellion, hardness of heart, or the inner resistance of the will to comply with the obligations of the covenant required an inner transformation for peace to be restored. This is clearly indicated in David’s prayer for an “undivided” heart for both fear and praise of God-Bible Study Tools 

As Christians, we sometimes work and strive too hard when all we must do to change the direction of our lives is to “[look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” He not only gives us the faith to believe in Him, but through the power of the Holy Spirit (our holy transmission), He also perfects, changes, and sanctifies us. Like King David, we must ask God to teach us His ways so we can walk in His truth with a pure heart to fear and love God.

When we hear the term idol, we often think of physical objects to be worshipped. However, an idol is anything in our life that is more important than God. Physical idols are easy to spot. On the other hand, “soft idols” are very personal, hidden, easily justified, and often masquerade as being good and wholesome. They are sometimes difficult to discern because they often appear to be so noble.

Spend time in prayer and ask God to show you any areas of your life where He hasn’t been holding first place. While praying, ask, Lord, what divides my heart? What causes me not to be wholly devoted to you? Have I engaged in idolatry by worshiping something or someone other than you, such as my career, prestige, power, or money? If so, you have a divided heart, but, remember, a course correction is attainable by looking in the direction you want — toward God.

“Free will without God’s grace is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil, since it cannot turn itself to good.” Martin Luther

Discussion and Journaling Questions: