Teach Me, Lead Me

Teach Me, Lead Me

Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

How childlike—“teach me”! How practical—“Teach me to do”! How undivided in obedience—“to do thy will”! To do all of it, let it be what it may. This is the best form of instruction, for its source is God, its object is holiness, its spirit is that of hearty loyalty. The man is hidden in the Lord, and spends his peaceful life in learning the will of his Preserver.… “For thou art my God.”… When the heart can sincerely call Jehovah “my God,” the understanding is ready to learn of him, the will is prepared to obey him, the whole man is eager to please him. “Thy Spirit is good.” God is all spirit and all good. His essence is goodness, kindness, holiness: it is his nature to do good.… “Lead me into the land of uprightness.”… David … sighed for the upland meadows of grace, the table-lands of peace, the fertile plains of communion. He could not reach them of himself; he must be led there. God, who is good, can best conduct us to the goodly land.… He who teaches us must … guide and conduct us to his own dwelling-place in the country of holiness. The way is long, and steep, and he who goes without a divine leader will faint on the journey; but with Jehovah to lead it is delightful to follow, and there is neither stumbling nor wandering.
Charles H. Spurgeon, ed., The Treasury of David.