We must seek the truth that will set us free from all these lies

May 8, 2016

Worship: Rock of Ages (When the Day Seems Long) by Sarah McCracken

TEXT: Sandra McCracken

MUSIC: Kevin Twit

1. Rock of Ages, when the day seems long 
From this labor and this heartache, I have come 
The skies will wear out, but you remain the same 
Rock of Ages, I praise your name

2. Rock of Ages, you have brought me near 
You have poured out your life-blood, your love, your tears 
To make this stone heart come alive again 
Rock of Ages, forgive my sin.

Chorus: Rock of ages. Rock of ages. 
Bind your children until the kingdom comes. 
Rock of ages your will be done

3. Rock of Ages, when in want or rest, 
My desperate need for such a Savior I confess 
Pull these idols out from my heart embrace. 
Rock of Ages, I need your grace.

4. Rock of Ages, broken scorned for me. 
Who am I that you would die to make me free? 
To give me glory, (you) took the death and pain. 
Rock of Ages, my Offering.

Repeat Chorus

5. Rock of Ages, "It is done!" you cried. 
The curtain's torn and I see justice satisfied 
Now write your mercy, on my heart and hands. 
Rock of ages, in faith I stand.

6. Rock of Ages, my great hope secure. 
Your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul 
Bind your children with cords of love and grace. 
Rock of Ages, we give you praise.

Repeat Chorus

© 2005 Same Old Dress Music (Admin. by Music Services) (ASCAP) and Kevin Twit Music (ASCAP).Used by permission. All rights reserved

Video: https://youtu.be/0YO4fZUCQAw

Witness:

It’s been 2 weeks since my last entry. Life has been full of turbulence with the dissolution of my youngest daughter’s marriage, the various life groups and Band of Brothers groups I am part of, and the extreme exhaustion that has dogged me with all this going on. Even now as I write, my wife is messaging me concerning Mother’s day and her hurt over the fact that 2 of our 6 children did not wish her happy mother’s day. She is trying to pull me into the fray by arguing that I am siding with the two children. It seems important to her that I “take her side” in this matter. She also has made the whole leaving me and our children’s responses as one of taking sides rather than seeking to understand their reasons for their actions.

As fallen humans, it seems that we desire for people to be on our side. We search and search until we find such people. Like those Paul spoke to Timothy about in one of his letters to him.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4:3-4 NIV

The truth is disposed of and the lies we tell ourselves become the “truth” to us. How much pain and disappointment and ruin could be avoided if we sought the truth and not listen to the sinful thoughts or irrational emotions or snap judgments that so easily come to us. The devil may be in the mix, but whether these come from “the world, the flesh, or the devil”, we must seek the truth that will set us free from all these lies. The truth found in Jesus and His word. Even if we discover the truth about someone and even if we are right about their motives, we still must not respond in the flesh but in the power of the Spirit and according to the Word of God and with the Love of God that dwells in all His true children.

WORD

Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. NIV	Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. KJV
Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.	Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,  for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! ESV

What fertile ground these verses are. As I read them I jotted down some observations and grappled with some things in light of what the New Testament says. Today, let me outline this portion of the psalm around a word that appears three times. It is the word “remember”.

I. Remember Who You Are

II. Don’t Remember Who I Was or Am

III. Remember Me in light of Who You Are

Various terms will also have to be defined. What do the terms: remember, mercy, love, and good mean here?

Certain questions need to be answered such as:

            - Does the first part of verse 7 refer to past sins only or to past and present?

            - How do we understand David’s request in light of what we know of                                    forgiveness as taught in the New Testament?

I will stop here because it is late and I want to take some time reviewing and expanding on these things.

Three Elements of Prayer

April 25, 2016

Worship:   Part the Waters/I Need Thee Every Hour as performed by Selah

When I think I'm going under, part the waters, Lord
When I feel the waves around me, calm the sea
When I cry for help, oh, hear me
Lord and hold out Your hand
Touch my life
Still the raging storm in me
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford

REFRAIN

I need Thee, O I need Thee
Every hour I need Thee
O bless me now, my Savior
I come to Thee

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain

REFRAIN

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/selah/part_the_waters_i_need_thee_every_hour-lyrics-888495.html#ixzz46oo7Ze1D

Video:  https://youtu.be/V-LkUTjYSUs

Witness:

I chose the song above because it was on my lips as I finished praying before I sat down to journal. I have not journaled for a week now. I have taken on more responsibilities in my life. I joined a Lifegroup on Thursday morning. I have Band of Brothers Thursday night and have started a Lifegroup with a couple of my brothers. Actually, it was started by a friend of mine from church and Band of Brothers. He asked me to help lead it. This Lifegroup meets Saturday night at a Sober Living facility. I feel totally out of my element and stretched way beyond the small and narrow life I have let myself contract to. I have also joined the Next Steps team at my church. They help in ministering to the needs of those who raised their hands during the service or to help anyone who has a question after the service. After becoming involved in these things, I thought my excitement and desire to serve would flourish. However, I began to feel the old self-doubts and even emptiness and lack of desire to do anything. It was as if I joined in and immediately wanted out. This reminds me of the time I had an MRI on my head. I had checked myself into a hospital after another hospital could not explain why I felt funny and had gotten dizzy, things had gone dim briefly and I couldn’t walk straight. This hospital set me up immediately for an MRI (the other hospital did a CAT Scan and saw nothing). However, when My head entered the tube, which was not much larger than my body, I immediately panicked and wanted out. I eventually was able to get an MRI done in a much larger tube with a towel over my eyes. In both cases fear caused me to want out. Both fears were irrational. The small tube could not collapse on me (I have fears of being buried alive so I would freak out if I found myself on the bottom of a celebration pile-on) and the Lord will not leave me to my own strength if I desire to serve and minister to others.

Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. NIV	Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. KJV
Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.	Ps 25:6-7 6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,  for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! ESV

David’s prayer continues through verse seven actually. In verses 4-5 he is praying for guidance and in verses 6-7 he is praying for grace. In the former, he seeks God’s map for his life and in the latter God’s mercy. The former is based on God’s actions and the latter on God’s attributes. Prayer, if it is true prayer, must contain at least these elements:

            1. Faith/ Trust

·        To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. (Ps 25:1-2a NIV)

·        … for you are God my Savior (Ps 25:5b NIV)

            2.  Hope (A confident expectation)

·        No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame (Ps 25:3a NIV)

·        my hope is in you all day long Ps 25:5c NIV

            3.  Knowledge and reliance on God’s Character or attributes

·        Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love (Ps 25:6a NIV)

·        according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.

            (Ps 25:7b NIV)

Are these elements found in our Lord’s Model Prayer?

            1. Faith/ Trust

Ø "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name (Matt 6:9 NIV)

            2. Hope

Ø your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

            (Matt 6:10 NIV)

 3. Knowledge and reliance on God’s Character or attributes

     (Not so much stated but assumed or implied)

Ø His Sovereignty

Ø 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:9-10 NIV)

·        His Holiness

Ø hallowed be your name (Matt 6:9b NIV)

Ø And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

          (Matt 6:13 NIV)

·        His Love expressed in His goodness and mercy

Ø Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' (Matt 6:11-13 NIV)

I’m sure we could glean more attributes out of “the Lord’s prayer,” but these should suffice to illustrate my point. So, the question I must ask myself as I enter into prayer is this:

v Do I trust in God as my Sovereign Lord, Savior and provider/guider?

v Do I have a confident expectation/hope that He hears my prayers and will answer them?

v Do I know and believe that God is who He says He is and will answer my prayers because He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, Omnisapient, holy, loving, and good?

Does that mean I will see things happen immediately or as I desired? No! He is all wise and knows what is best. Does that mean that I won’t struggle and face disappointments in my prayer life? Of course not. I am imperfect, but I will continue to trust in the perfect one. I will remember the truth expressed in a poem written by Edith Lillian Young. A poem put to music several decades ago by one of my favorite musicians Phil Keaggy. I will end this journal entry with these words and a link to Phil’s version of this poem in song.

Disappointment --
His Appointment

"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
Change one letter, then I see
That the thwarting of my purpose
Is God's better choice for me.
His appointment must be blessing,
Tho' it may come in disguise,
For the end from the beginning
  Open to His wisdom lies.

"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
Whose?  The Lord, who loves me best,
Understands and knows me fully,
Who my faith and love would test;
For, like loving earthly parent,
He rejoices when He knows
That His child accepts, UNQUESTIONED,
All that from His wisdom flows.

"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
"No good thing will He withhold,"
From denials oft we gather
Treasures of His love untold,
Well He knows each broken purpose
Leads to fuller, deeper trust,
And the end of all His dealings
Proves our God is wise and just.

"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
Lord, I take it, then, as such.
Like the clay in hands of potter,
Yielding wholly to Thy touch.
All my life's plan in Thy moulding,
Not one single choice be mine;
Let me answer, unrepining --
"Father, not my will, but Thine."

Edith Lillian Young

Job 23:14 For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me:
and many such things are with him.

Video: https://youtu.be/HY0-VZ6oaG0

[Best to read the poem as the song plays in background. The pictures on the video are beautiful scenes from Great Britain, but don’t really go with the words of the song or poem.]  

-- We cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain -- Spurgeon

April 18, 2016

Worship:  

Call On The Name 
Worship Leader: Seth McConkey
(Jason Ingram, Andi Rozier, Reuben Morgan)

My light when I'm lost
My rest when I'm weary
My peace in the raging storm
You will never falter, You will never fail

My song in the night
My shield in the battle
My help when I need it most
You will never falter, You will never fail

I will call on the name
I will call on the name of the Lord
My God is greater
Find my strength in the name
Find my strength in the name of the Lord
Jesus, my Savior

My sin on the cross
My promise of Heaven
My hope is in You alone
You will never falter, You will never fail

You will not falter, You will not fail
For You are strong to save
You will deliver, You will prevail
Yes, You will make a way

© 2013 Sony/ATV Timber Publishing / Open Hands Music (SESAC) / Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing / HBC Worship Music / Jingram Music (ASCAP) All rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Timber Publishing, Open Hands Music, Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, HBC Worship Music and Jingram Music administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. / Hillsong Music Publishing (APRA) (adm. in the US and Canada at CapitolCMGPublishing.com)

Video:  https://youtu.be/ic3e0y4v1Ak

Witness:

I was having one of those days again. I went to bed late and woke up to earlier than I wanted to. Fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon and slept till the early evening. So, I felt like I didn’t get to enjoy my day off or get anything accomplished. I did have a good time of fellowship tonight with my fellow Lifegroup leaders. We lead a Lifegroup at a Sober Living Facility every Saturday. We just started it two weeks ago.  Tonight, as I came to this portion of my journaling, I had to ask myself: “What, if anything, did I learn today?” First, I replied nothing. I had not learned anything. Then it hit me, like God slapped me “upside my head’!

Dummy, I thought, of course you hadn’t. What have you been studying for the last week? Psalm 25:4-5. What had you been saying about the privilege of asking the God of the universe to show, guide, and teach you? What about the passion in which David prayed it? If you want to be taught you need to make it a daily practice to pray Psalm 25:4-5. Some verses came to mind as I wrote this.

You do not have, because you do not ask God.

James 4:2b NIV

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22 NIV

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matt 7:7-8 NIV

I had no excuse. How often we come to the Word and discover a precious nugget of truth and hide it under a bushel? How often do we discover a precious bejeweled necklace in the scripture and fail to adorn ourselves with it? More verses come to mind.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:17 NIV

always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth

2 Tim 3:7 ESV

I realize it looks like I am taking 2 Timothy 3:7 out of context. However, I am really pulling out of it an application to my situation. In context, Paul is talking about certain women being led astray by evil men. They were always learning but never able to distinguish between the false and the true, so they were led astray.  We can read scripture after scripture. We can memorize it and expound on it, but if we don’t put it into practice then we are not “doers of the word” (KJV) and this would be a sin of omission. If we read scripture after scripture and don’t understand it and fail to ask the Lord to daily to show us, guide us, and teach us, we may just fall into the same mess that these women fell into.

WORD:

Ps 25:4-5 4 Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. NIV	Ps 25:4-5 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. ESV
Ps 25:4-5 4 Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.	Ps 25:4-5 4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. NASU

We began this portion of scripture with a simple outline:

            I. A Prayer for Direction

                        A. Show me

                        B. Teach me

                        C. Guide me

                        D. Teach me

            II. The Grounds for this Prayer

We have discussed the first half of the outline. Let us look at the second. What were the grounds of his prayer? The answer is:

·        because He is the God of David’s past who had delivered him from many a trial and trouble

·        because He is the God of David’s present and future in whom he trusted would continue to deliver him

Listen to Calvin’s thoughts on this passage. It may be a little difficult to understand at first, but after reading it slowly several times you should at least get the gist of what he is saying.

At the same time, we ought to observe the argument which David here employs to enforce his prayer. By calling God the God of his salvation, he does so in order to strengthen his hope in God for the future, from a consideration of the benefits which he had already received from him; and then he repeats the testimony of his confidence towards God. Thus the first part of the argument is taken from the nature of God himself, and the duty which, as it were, belongs to him; that is to say, because he engages to maintain the welfare of the godly, and aids them in their necessities, on this ground, that he will continue to manifest the same favor towards them even to the end. But as it is necessary that our confidence in God should correspond to his great goodness towards us, David alleges it, at the same time, in connection with a declaration of his perseverance. For, by the expression all the day, or every day, he signifies that with a fixed and untiring constancy he depended upon God alone. And, doubtless, it is the property of faith always to look to God, even in the most trying circumstances, and patiently to wait for the aid which he has promised. That the recollection of the divine blessings may nourish and sustain our hope, let us learn to reflect upon the goodness which God has already manifested towards us, as we see that David did in making this the ground of his confidence, that he had found in his own personal experience God to be the author of salvation.

(from Calvin's Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Because of his confident expectation and trust in the Lord, he knew God would answer his request for instruction, illumination, and implementation.

Psalms 25:5

It is a happy thing when we can address the Lord with the confidence which David here manifests, it gives us great power in prayer, and comfort in trial.

(from The Treasury of David, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Because of this, he could wait patiently for God to answer.

The Hebrew verb wait for expresses an attitude of hope, expectation, confidence.

(from UBS Old Testament Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights reserved.)

I end today’s entry with this thought from Spurgeon:

    

Psalms 25:5

On thee do I wait all the day. Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously he once waited for us.

(from The Treasury of David, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights   

reserved.)            

An Urgent Imperative

April 15, 2016

Worship: Show Us Christ by Sovereign Grace

Verse 1
Prepare our hearts, O God
Help us to receive
Break the hard and stony ground
Help our unbelief
Plant Your Word down deep in us
Cause it to bear fruit
Open up our ears to hear
Lead us in Your truth

Chorus
Show us, Christ, show us, Christ
O God, reveal Your glory
Through the preaching of Your Word
Until every heart confesses Christ is Lord

Verse 2
Your Word is living light
Upon our darkened eyes
Guards us through temptations
Makes the simple wise
Your Word is food for famished ones
Freedom for the slave
Riches for the needy soul
Come speak to us today

Bridge
Where else can we go, Lord
Where else can we go
You have the words of eternal life


Credits:
Music by Doug Plank, words by Doug Plank and Bob Kauflin
© 2011 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)/Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)
credits


from The Gathering: Live from WorshipGod11, released November 15, 2011

Lyrics: https://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/track/show-us-christ

Video: https://youtu.be/uLIi5SAVMRw?list=RDMM_rR_Rdb1CTE

Witness:

Another gap of days. It’s actually 2:17 am. I took Thursday night/Friday morning off from work because I thought I was going to have company spending the night. That fell through. While I missed fellowshipping with some old friends; Thursday night was still a good time of fellowship for me with my Band of Brothers. It was board breaking night. The night we write on a board the sins we have in our life that still need to be broken. When finished we discuss them in our platoons and then pair up and pray with a brother over these challenges in our lives. When through we line up in two lines facing each other. Then the brothers facing each other swap boards. One side of the line holds the board up and braces themselves as the one who owns the board proceeds to break the board with the palm of his hand symbolizing his break with what is written on the board. Then the other side picks up the others board, and the process is repeated. It is an awesome night that we all look forward to.  My board contained in big words “Fear,” and then I listed all the fears I could think of that hold me back, or I am afraid will happen. One thing I fear is my failure in ministry to others. I also fear I don’t have the ability to be creative when it comes to teaching, or the wisdom when it comes to counseling. I have to face the fact that I lack self-confidence. “Not in a fleshly way, for I put no confidence in the flesh,” but wait… perhaps that is what I was looking for. Perhaps I was fearful because I was seeking a feeling of confidence in my own abilities and then giving feign recognition to God as the source of my confidence. This misplaced trust - this “trust” that we often won’t admit to or even recognize – is what is the source of fear and my failure. I must learn to place my trust in the Lord who is working out the gift(s) He has given me in my life. This is part of my salvation process as seen in Philippians 2:12c-13:

“… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” NIV

WORD:

Ps 25:4-5 4 Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. NIV	Ps 25:4-5 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. ESV
Ps 25:4-5 4 Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.	Ps 25:4-5 4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. NASU

Both the NIV and the NLT translate the Hebrew word yada by the word “Show.” ESV and NASU use the word “Know.”  Both are accurate.

Vines has this to say about the word:

KNOW
Essentially yada means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing… Thirdly, this verb can represent that kind of knowing which one learns and can give back.(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

The TWOT adds:

In certain contexts, it means "to distinguish." "To know good and evil" (Gen 3:5,22) is the result of disobeying God. To distinguish between these is necessary for the king (2 Sam 19:36). A child cannot distinguish between the left and right hands (Jonah 4:11) nor between good and evil (Deut 1:39; Isa 7:15). The context of the latter passage and the similar statement in Isa 8:4 may indicate that the reference is to a child's not being able to distinguish what is beneficial and harmful. While ordinarily gained by experience, knowledge is also the contemplative perception possessed by the wise man (Prov 1:4; Prov 2:6; Prov 5:2; Eccl 1:18).
 (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

Thus, I believe David is crying out for knowing the right from the wrong both morally and practically in his life. He is also calling on the Lord to help him understand how God acts in this world so he can follow those ways.

Barnes observes:

The "ways" of God are His methods of administering the affairs of the world; His dispensations; the rules which He has prescribed for Himself in the execution of His plans; the great laws by which He governs the universe. Deut 32:4, "All his ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." The prayer of the psalmist is, that he may be able to understand the methods of the divine government; the principles upon which God bestows happiness and salvation; the rules which He has been pleased to prescribe for human conduct; the arrangements by which He confers favors upon mankind; the scheme by which He saves people. The idea evidently is that he might understand so much of this as to regulate his own conduct aright; that he might not lean upon his own understanding, or trust to His own guidance, but that He might always be under the guidance and direction of God.(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is an urgency in this prayer that might not show up in English. The form of this verb is in the imperative. Now when we think of a word being in the imperative, we immediately think of the word being some sort of command, but this is not always so. I don’t think “Show me” or “Make me” are meant to be construed as commands or demands by David towards God. This is the information I found about Hebrew imperatives:

Hebrew ImperativeThe imperative often represents a direct command demanding an immediate response. It differs from volitional Imperfect in being more urgent and demanding immediate, specific action from the addressee. Many contexts demand a less forceful meaning: advice, counsel, invitation, wish, request, or petition.(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

Wheeler goes on to describe the way the imperative is used that I believe pertains to this verse.

    

      Request or Petition: The speaker may use an imperative to convey a request to humans or a petition to God. The imperative conveys respect and full dignity.Ø   "Arise (hm*Wq‎), O God, judge (hf*p=v*‎) the earth." (Ps 83:8 )Ø   "Gehazi said, '... Please give (aN`-hn`T=‎) them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'" (2 Kings 5:22)(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

I cannot but help think that David is showing “respect and full dignity” as well as conveying an “urgency’ in his petition to God! Like a person lost and out in the middle of nowhere may cry out for help. He needs direction, but he doesn’t demand them but humbly pleads for guidance by someone who knows where they are and is also able to give them directions on where they want to go. So too, David is pleading for direction in his life.

As I write this portion, a song is playing in the background that gives the answer for our source of direction in our lives, and I think I will end here with the lyrics and a link to the song.

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart


Songwriters: FREEMAN, RONNIE C. JR. / WOOD, TONY W.


Ancient Words lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Video: https://youtu.be/JIF3GQJF72g?list=RDMM_rR_Rdb1CTE