I was just talking to my mom-in-law this morning, and we were discussing how, when it comes to serving the Lord, our “want to” is not the problem, but our “doing” seems to allude us most times.
As I was reading through Psalm 86, verse 11 just seemed to really draw me in, so I knew that God had something to say to me here. Well, wouldn’t ya know that God addressed how to consistently keep our “want to” and our “doing” unified.
“Teach me Thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth:
unite my heart to fear Thy name.”
In the first phrase, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord”, I never want to assume I know what words mean in Hebrew. So I began by digging into the Hebrew definitions of “teach” and “way”.
TEACH
The Hebrew definition is: to flow as water (i.e., to rain)
It is used figuratively to mean: to point out, as if by aiming the finger.
When I initially thought about the word “teach”, my mind saw the picture of a classroom — there was a teacher and there were students. Now if you consider how the word “teach” was used figuratively in the Hebrew language, my classroom picture makes perfect sense because I’m sure we’ve all had teachers who pointed their fingers, whether at the chalkboard or at maps…or at unruly kids…haha.
Looking at the “flowing water/rain” part of the definition, I have to admit I was stumped a bit at first. But as I sat here thinking, God urged me to ponder rain for a bit. Um….Ok……(thinking…). What do I know about rain? Hmmmm… Rain is wet, yup. Rain comes from clouds. When it rains, water flows down. When it rains, you are going to get wet, unless you do something to prohibit it.
So how does that relate to God teaching us His ways? Well, I know that God desires for His children to learn His ways, and whether we’re learning or not, He’s always teaching. In my mind’s eye, clouds depict hard times, while sunny days represent easier times. So if we know that rain comes from clouds, and rain is part of the definition of “teach”, then I have to deduct that God uses our “rainy” experiences in life to teach us His ways.
So if God’s always teaching, why are we not always learning? Because we have to CHOOSE to step out into the rain. We have to CHOOSE to remove the things in our lives that prohibit us from getting drenched in the truths of God’s Word. God is wayyyy cool!…and speaking of “way” (big grin).
WAY
This word comes from a Hebrew root that means: to tread; implying to walk,
but it is also used to describe stepping on a bow, bending it in order to string it.
I love this! My imagination went into overdrive as I pictured an archer with the wood part of a bow in one hand and the string part in the other. It must have taken considerable effort on the part of the archer to bend the bow to get the string attached, but in order to be able to use the bow, he had to put in the effort to connect the two. Another thought that struck me is that once the string and bow are connected, the bow has to remain under tension in order to fulfill its purpose.
Now let’s make the spiritual connection. God is the Archer. We are the bow. The truths we can learn from God through life’s experiences are the string. God desires for us to be useful in working for His Kingdom’s cause. So He makes the effort to connect His truths to our lives. When I think about the “tension” between the bow and the string, that really can apply to the tension we feel at times as we struggle with our flesh to submit to God. It’s hard at times, when God is applying pressure through painful or tense circumstances in our lives, to choose to look to Him to teach us through them. This brings to mind the way that God will work all things together for good if we love Him and are living according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As we submit to God’s ways, we will fulfill the purpose for which we were specifically created. That puts a whole new spin on tense situations, doesn’t it?!
The next phrase of this verse is “I will walk in thy truth.” Again, let’s look at the Hebrew definitions.
WALK
The word “walk” carries with it the idea of a continual behaving of self.
It means to march more and more.
It’s interesting to note that “walk” comes from a root word meaning: building up or supporting; fostering as a parent. It was also used in a figurative sense describing things or people I would render firm or faithful.
So putting that all together, I see that David is making a statement of purpose here. I will continually march, more and more to the beat of Your drum God, because I trust You to take care of me.
Moving on to the final phrase, “Unite my heart to fear Thy name“. Let’s look at the key words.
UNITE
To be (or become) one:—to join, to unite
Think about this. If something has to “become” a certain way, it denotes that either it’s not that certain way at all or that it’s not consistently that certain way. Keep that in your mind as we look at the definition of “heart”.
HEART
The center of a thing; or the center of feelings, will, and intellect;
to bethink–what you think about, reflect on, consider
Have you ever had so many thoughts and emotions at the same time that you have said, “my mind is all over the place”? Yeah, me too. Apparently David experienced that too because when David wrote “unite my heart”, he was praying that God would enable him to maintain a fixed focus. But what did he ask God to enable him to focus upon? The answer is found in the last phrase.
David was asking God to enable him to concentrate all his affections Godward. “Unite my heart to fear Thy name”.
FEAR
To revere: to regard with awe, great respect, or devotion
Let’s ponder about some of those words. Awe is an emotion that combines dread (causing great fear or anxiety) veneration (respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person), and wonder (the quality of exciting amazed admiration) that is inspired by authority or by the sacred by elevated quality (as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur) or transcendent excellence. Respect is the choice to consider someone worthy of high regard and thus to refrain from interfering with. That sounds a lot like deference to the will of another. Devotion is the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal. Given the definition of the word ardent (a warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager, zealous support). Devotion combines feeling AND doing.
NAME
Comes from a root word meaning “to put, appoint”.
The definition gives the idea of a definite and conspicuous position.
It refers to the honor, authority and/or character of a person.
An appellation.
In Bible times, names not only described the attributes, character and destinies of the individuals named, but at times names were synonymous with the person. What comes to mind when you think of a “conspicuous position”? For me, I think of something obvious to the eye or to the mind. As I pondered that, a couple verses came to mind.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” ~~ Philippians 2:9
“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.” ~~Psalm 148:13
The name of Jesus is above every name. The name of Jesus will be confessed by every person, in heaven and on earth. The name of Jesus alone is exalted. The name of Jesus is majestic above the earth and heaven. That’s a pretty conspicuous position, wouldn’t you say?
Before we wrap up this verse, let’s pause to consider what an appellation is – a mark or memorial of character. The root word of “appellation” is appellate, which means having the power to hear appeals and to reverse court decisions. That definition really describes God as Judge, doesn’t it? As Judge, God set that standard that the penalty of sin is death. Because of that standard, I deserved the death penalty. But as Judge, God ruled that His one and only Son would die in my place, overturning my death sentence. When I accepted that pardon, He not only granted me eternal life, but He ruled that I would be adopted as His daughter. I’m so thankful that God is the Judge, aren’t you?
So, summing all this up. David was saying that, while he purposed in his heart to walk in God’s truth, he knew that he needed God’s help in making his “want to” with his “doing” one and the same. David knew Who God is – what His character is, and it was his desire to successfully and consistently live in awe of God, being completely devoted to Him.
You know, before I dug into this verse, I was quick to say “Yes Lord. I want that too! Teach me Your ways!”; but after my study this morning, I found it a little harder to say that and mean it. Why? Because as much as I want to learn God’s ways, the thought that the “learning” will probably come in the form of hardship doesn’t sound that appealing to me. Honestly desiring God to teach me requires surrender – surrender to His will, surrender to His teaching, and surrender to whatever means He chooses to accomplish the teaching.
It’s a little harder to truly desire that, when you know that learning very well could include suffering. I think that’s why David had to pray “unite my heart”. Often we vacillate between what “we” want and what we know God wants. But the truth of the matter is that I can’t say that I love and trust God, and then not surrender to whatever ways He chooses to employ to teach me His ways. The reality of it is this — regardless of how hard the situation God places in my path to teach me His truth, it will always be easier surrendering to God, than it will be having to reap the consequences of doing things as “I” would see fit.