21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 16, Tuesday: “Teach Me Your Way, O Lord”

by | Apr 4, 2023 | 21 Days 2023

“The purest form of love is given with no expectation of return. Measured by this standard, earnest prayer for others is a magnificent act of love.”

david hubbard, the problem with prayer is…, p. 14

Please read the first blog post entitled “Why Fast?” This explains what fasting is and why we follow Jesus in this spiritual discipline as together we seek the heart of God.

Each day during our 21 Days, we will focus on one part of the ACTS prayer acronym – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. We will spend between 3-5 days on each part of the ACTS prayer acronym. Each devotion will take less than ten minutes of your time.

Supplication simply means “a humble request for help or mercy from someone in authority.” In our application, it means a humble request of God.

Supplication

Engage the Word

Read Psalm 86:7-12 A Prayer of David. 

7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, 

for you answer me. 

8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, 

nor are there any works like yours. 

9 All the nations you have made shall come 

and worship before you, O Lord, 

and shall glorify your name. 

10 For you are great and do wondrous things; 

you alone are God. 

11 Teach me your way, O Lord, 

that I may walk in your truth; 

unite my heart to fear your name. 

12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, 

and I will glorify your name forever. 

This prayer for guidance sings of God’s sovereignty. The psalmist David is now applying that fact to his life, not merely to the world in general. This is a prayer of supplication about forming the right habits in order to walk in the ways of the Lord in the truth of the Lord.

In verse 11, unite my heart to fear your name, is a powerful climax, confessing in a single phrase the disintegrated state of the human heart which Scripture speaks of in many ways and in many forms: from insincerity to hypocrisy to deceit to immorality… The very battle of the heart which Paul describes in Romans 7:18-19 – “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

David’s earnest prayer here is the desire to live with an integrated heart – one that knows the ways of the Lord and walks wholeheartedly in those ways.

Reflect on the Truth

  1. Read through this passage slowly one time. Then, spend some time focusing on verse 11 by placing the emphasis on different words each time you read and meditate on this verse. For instance, you may emphasize the word “teach” the first time, and then the word “your” the second time, and then the word “way” the third time, etc.
  2. In what ways have you lived with a disintegrated heart? (e.g. insincerity, hypocrisy, deceit, immorality, etc) Take the time to bring your request of an integrated heart to God: “Unite my heart to fear your name, O Lord.” He is a God who hears.
  3. What are some words that come to mind that describe God’s “way”? (A few helpful words might be truth, peace, reconciliation, humility, transparency, love, patience…) Ask the Lord to make these qualities more real in your life today.

Depend on the Spirit

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that those thoughts are pointing to. (For example: you may write down, “I long to walk in your way, O Lord. Show me. Teach me. Guide me. Lead me in your way.”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.

For Prayer

Today, pray for all the guests and visitors who will attend an Easter service this weekend – especially those that don’t have a personal, intimate relationship with Christ. Pray that they will hear the message of the gospel – of Jesus Christ’s resurrection power over sin, shame and death – and respond to Him with their whole heart.

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Content from these devotionals has been adapted from various resources, including The Bible Speaks Today commentary series by John Stott, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary by Derek Kidner, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary by Tremper Longman and others.