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Jul 16, 2025 14:32pm

BEING LED BY GOD

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If you are even remotely wise, you will want to be led by God. It will make sense to you that the One who made you is wiser, smarter, more accurate, in fact, perfect in His leadership.

And, if you have lived for any length of time and died to some of our inherent pride, you will realize your weakness and need, your propensity to evil, and how simple it is for you to take a path that “seems right to man but the end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

For us to function as we were designed, we must be so dependent upon God that we let Him lead us … and He delights to do so. Nothing thrills Him more than one of His children in the humble posture of hearing and following. It’s His gracious offer and our best choice.

King David, except for a few rare and sad exceptions, chose to follow God wholeheartedly. He had learned this as a shepherd through years of leading sheep. And so, the Psalms are filled with instructions as we listen to his prayers.

Make me know Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation.

For You I wait all the day. (Psalms 25:4–5)

Notice three distinct cries for leadership and an important posture that makes it all work.

GOD’S WAYS

David asks God to “make” him know His “ways.” God’s ways are His operating system. “Well, that’s just his way,” someone might say of you, acknowledging the routine means by which you function, developed over years.

David wanted to know not only the path for his life but also the way in which God functioned so he could always know the path and the reasoning for God’s choices.

Think of how well equipped a man or woman would be to follow God well if they had learned the ways of their Father. Think of being able to anticipate how God will lead because you know His heart, His motivations, His manner of decision-making.

GOD’S PATHS

Then, David gets more specific and asks God to teach him His paths. “Point out the road for me to follow,” the New Living Translation says. David’s prayer implies this, but the word “teach” implies more than just pointing. It speaks of instructing in such a way that the paths are learned. That we know them from then on.

“Lord, I want you to instruct me as we walk along the way. Don’t merely give direction, but give all that a perfect God will give to a needy man that helps me learn in these next steps. I will be content with You just pointing the way and will gladly follow with no explanation, but teach me everything I need to learn as I follow you in this path.”

GOD’S TRUTH

However, David takes it one step further. He asks the Greatest Teacher to lead him in His truth. He wants to know the how and why of everything knowable at this moment, in this step, along this path. “Holy Spirit, take me out of darkness into Your light. Show me the underlying truths so that I can grow. Save me from myself and this world and the enemy, for ‘You are the God of my salvation.’”

THE NEEDED POSTURE

And then a final, simple statement of faith, a commitment that expresses much and makes everything possible on the human side.

For you I wait all the day.

Think of what this word implies: “I’m looking to You alone (faith) and I am not moving until you lead. (patience).”

We often 1) never come for His direction, or, 2) arrogantly dash off because we don’t understand how desperately we need His leadership. Our self-sufficiency (and self-delusion) causes us to grab the keys to the car and rush off like a brash teenager, not a wise son or daughter who humbly waits.

Do you need direction and clarity? Are you just wise enough and humble enough that you know you must have God’s leadership all day or you’ll make a mess of things? Then look to your Shepherd “all the day.”