Psalm 86

Teach Me Your Way, O Lord, That I May Walk in Your Truth

A Prayer for the poor and needy (Psalm of of David)

¹     Hear, O Lord, and answer me!  For I am poor and needy.

²     Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant

who trusts in you.

³     Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

⁴     Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

⁵     You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

⁶     Hear my prayer, O Lord—listen to my cry for mercy.

⁷     In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

⁸     Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.

⁹     All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, 

      O Lord, they will bring glory to your name.

¹⁰     For you are great and do marvelous deeds—You alone are God.

¹¹    Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

¹²     I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

¹³     For great is your love toward me—You have delivered me...

¹⁴     The arrogant are attacking me, O God, a band of ruthless men seek my life—

men without regard for you.

¹⁵     But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

¹⁶     Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.

¹⁷     Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Do we truly desire success in our walk with God?

David requests that God  hear... answer... guard... save... have mercy ... and bring joy to him because of his poor and needy condition.

If we are truly desiring this kind of success,  we must be careful to take to heart these words of David.  He tells us we need the teaching that can come only from God—this is the job of Holy Spirit, our counselor, that resides in us when we accept Christ as savior.  "Teach me Your way O Lord, that I may walk in your truth."  Left  to ourselves we can not discern or or apply God's truth.  

It is the Attitude of Our Heart

Our attitude takes root in the heart.  The right attitude is needed to receive and apply God's teaching.  "Give me an undivided heart..." verse 11.   There can be no conflicting loyalty—we can not serve two masters. In the life of our 'faith,' those who have found their total satisfaction in God (plus nothing else) makes a heart undivided — when we do not look anywhere else but to God for our satisfaction, our peace, and our life.