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Today, our text comes from Psalm 25:

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long (Psalm 25:4-5).

There is a story of a young Naval graduate, who after completing his first overseas cruise, was given an opportunity to display his talents at getting his ship underway and out of port. The young officer's efficiency established a new record for getting a naval ship underway. He was stunned, however, when a sailor approached him with a message from their captain. "My personal congratulations upon completing your underway preparations exercise according to the book and with amazing speed. In your haste however, you have overlooked one of the fundamental rules -- make sure the captain is on board before you leave.\u201d

Last Friday, Pastor Anthony, in reflecting on Ephesians 1, called us to look forward with confidence to our inheritance. Hope does cause us to look forward. But hope does not have us sit down and wait. Hope also causes us to roll up our sleaves and get to work.

David begins this psalm with the bold statement, \u201cIn you, Lord my God, I put my trust.\u201d And a little later, in our text, he says, \u201cmy hope is in you all day long\u201d. This trusting and hoping in God propels David to know and live according to God\u2019s ways. Our text says, \u201cGuide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long\u201d.

When I was in school, English grammar was not my favourite subject, but when I started learning Greek and Hebrew, I came to appreciate how useful it is. In our text, the word \u2018for\u2019, which can also be translated as \u2018because\u2019 is the pivot of the sentence. David wants to know God\u2019s will because his hope and trust are in God.

Why does David ask God to \u2018show me your ways,\u2019 and \u2018teach me your paths\u2019? David has the law given by Moses after all? True. But there are many situations in life in which we need to choose. The given or revealed law of God simply doesn\u2019t cover every situation. David, as king of Israel, is called to lead God\u2019s people in the ways of obedience.

Whatever context God has placed us, we are called to obedience as well. But it is not always easy to discern: What does God want us to do with our money? \xa0How must we raise our children? \xa0What should we do with a troubled marriage? How can we best help the poor, the marginalized, the sexually different?

Christians have given many different answers to these questions. Often each situation has its own answer, depending on the circumstances.

Like Israel, God calls us to be \u201ca kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5, 6). Echoing these things, Peter writes, \u201cBut you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God\u2019s special possession\u2026Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us\u201d (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Like David, Peter calls us to righteous living because of what is to come, because of our hope in Christ\u2019s return. So how do we discern God\u2019s will in each situation? How can we live into the hope we have? I\u2019ll flesh out an answer in my next two devotions.

For today, I want you to notice that it begins with prayer. David asks God for help in discerning his ways. None of us will get anywhere is living God\u2019s ways, if we don\u2019t ask him for help. When we pray \u201cshow me your ways\u201d than the captain is on board. Like the young naval officer, we often set sail without the captain. And like the captain on a ship, God needs to tell us where to go.