Walking

Psalm 86:11 says

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth;

Unite my heart to fear your name

This Psalm of David was probably right around his disaster with Bathsheba.  From the depths of Psalm 51 to now Psalm 86 where we see David still humble, but now gaining confidence in the Lord.  Asking him at the beginning of this Psalm to “Incline your ear to me”; “Answer me”; “be gracious to me”; “bring joy.”

We see a humble teachable spirit here – “Teach me your way.”  Why?  So that I may ‘walk in your truth.’ He is admitting that he needs to know the way to go – God’s way.

We see the word “walk”  the Hebrew word ‘halak’ which means  ‘to go, walk, behave’  – which appears about 1,550 TIMES in the OT!  It implies action, and this tense implies an incomplete action.  David is walking and will have much more walking to do. So do we, by His grace.

But as he walks he is essentially asking for two very important things:   (1) teach me your way – there is a sense of humility in this request too.  It’s not about us, it’s about God.  We should be seeking and submitting to His way, His truth, His word in all things as we walk thru life; and (2) unite my heart to fear your name.  Piper lists this as one of the Nine Ways to Pray for Your Soul, which I have quoted often here, and need to pray like more often.  NIV translates this “give me an undivided heart.”   David is asking for unity in his soul, his inner core being to be devoted to God in reverence and devotion.  How many things compete for God’s rightful place of top priority in our inner core self? Are we sharing devotion to other things that shouldn’t be there? I am.  It’s a daily battle and heart inspection, confess, repent, learn the way to go, walk in it.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

David gives us a great example of a humble, teachable spirit – and a heartfelt prayer for his soul.