Show Me the Way I Should Go

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Show Me the Way I Should Go

Date: Dec. 13, 2016

Passage

Psalm 143:1-12 (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

1   Hear my prayer, O LORD;
    give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2   Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous before you.
3   For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    he has crushed my life to the ground;
    he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4   Therefore my spirit faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.
5   I remember the days of old;
    I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
6   I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7   Answer me quickly, O LORD!
    My spirit fails!
  Hide not your face from me,
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8   Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
  Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.
9   Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
    I have fled to you for refuge.
10   Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
  Let your good Spirit lead me
    on level ground!
11   For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life!
    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12   And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your servant.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 143:8

  Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
  Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

First, my soul thirsts for you (1-6). When we are attacked within and without by our enemy the devil, our spirits grow faint. It is easy to lose heart and become discouraged. How can our parched souls be refreshed? It is not by victory, nor by success. Only when God's Spirit is poured out on our thirsty souls can we be truly healed and renewed. When we meditate on God's word and praise him for his gracious redemptive work in us and in the world, and spread our hands out to him in prayer, he pours out his Spirit afresh.

Second, show me the way I should go (7-12). God pours out his Spirit so that his people may be equipped to do his will. How can we know God's will? We must ask him for direction. David did this many times (1Sa 30:6-8). When we trust God's love implicitly and commit ourselves to obey his will, he will teach us his will. His Spirit will lead us on level ground to win victories for his name's sake. He will protect and guide and use us according to his will.

Prayer: Lord, I lift my soul to you. Pour out your Spirit on me afresh, like rain on a parched land. I put my trust in you.

One Word: Lord, show me the way to go

God’s Wrath and Justice

Revelation 6:1-17

Key Verse: 6:17

for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Today's Question

What does God require from us to escape His anger and curse, which we deserve for our sin?

See answer and references