Psalm 25:5 - Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
One of the most important aspects of a person’s childhood is their education. What we all learn in our early years is of the utmost importance because of how it shapes us and molds us for our adult life. What we learn must be true, or we risk going down unhelpful paths later in life.
There was once a mother who joked about what might happen if she taught her child that blue was pink and pink was blue. Basically, the idea was to see if the child would grow up being certain of something that was false, and wondering how that would affect her child later in life. Thankfully, she didn’t follow up on this, but the question remains, what would have happened? The child would have become a very confused adult and would have a hard time trusting anyone who told her anything because of one simple lie she learned growing up. This example reminds us that we simply must teach what’s true at all costs, from the simple and practical to the scientific and theological and everything in between.
If you think back on your years of learning, which never really stop, you probably can remember certain teachers or leaders along the way who had as much of an impact on you as what you learned. A good teacher who teaches what’s true and is affected by that truth themselves, will provide a great benefit to a student, but the opposite is also true. Our teachers and leaders affect us greatly, and this is why it is so important that they are grounded in what is true.
In this verse, the psalmist sees himself as a student and follower. We all are, and will be for the rest of our lives, even into eternity. So who does he recognize as his teacher? Who is the one who he desires to lead him? It’s God. Now, why does he look to God for his education and guidance? Because this God is the God of his salvation. If someone saves you from something, you will probably want to spend time with them, listen to them, get to know them, and so on.
So the psalmist waits for this God all day long. Perhaps he is waiting for God to lead him. Perhaps he waits on God to instruct him. Either way, he recognizes who he must follow and who he must be a student of. Are you waiting on the instruction and guidance of the Lord today? Are you spending time in God’s school, or are you living today as if you’ve already graduated, thinking you know all you need to know? The truth is, chances are, you feel very lost at times, confused at times, and uncertain of what you should do at times.
If you don’t know what to do today, you have a teacher to teach you. If you don’t know where to go, you have a leader to guide you. True strength comes from having the humility to be a lifelong learner, regardless of what you know, and truth be told, God will never run out of things to teach you. He is the God of your salvation. Wait on him and he will show you great and mighty things you have not yet known.
