Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! — Psalm 143:10, ESV
There are four things that are necessary, that I see in this verse, for growth in Christ to occur in every one of his followers:
1). Knowing who you are not. Notice that David proclaims God to be God. It starts with that. When we stop and ponder the size and majestic glory of God, we must stop and fear him. This fear that we have of God is good, for it leads us to repent. The fear is not the end in itself, but rather part of the emotions that we should be experiencing as we approach this holy being. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7, ESV). And there is this certain right that comes with being God: you're in charge. God doesn't need my input or opinion on what his will should be. He's God. He has a plan, and that plan is perfect. When I truly believe that I could do better in any situation, or that I have the only true life-giving perspective to a problem, that is arrogance. But when I humbly seek God's direction and his perspective, admitting that my perspective is limited and that I need God's insight, I do well.
2). Entering into relationship. Notice again what David says: "You are my God." David understands that there is a relationship. He could have just said, "You are God." That would have been theologically correct, for even though there are many people who do not accept God as God, it doesn't change the fact that he still is God. So there is something personal in this statement. It is not merely a statement of fact, but rather a personal statement of relationship.
3). Be teachable. It is so necessary for us to be teachable. I'm convinced, and I think I've said something along these lines before, that we when think that we have arrived, it is then that we should be most pitied. There is a humility that comes with being teachable. In fact, and this is my personal opinion, a person who thinks that he/she has arrived misses out on the revelation of God. Here's what I mean: my whole life should be filled with me learning more and more about God. As God reveals more of himself to me, my love for him grows. As I love him more, I desire for him to reveal more of himself to me which causes me to love him more... and the cycle goes on. For those who are not teachable, they don't learn anything. This causes their love for God to become stagnant and predictable instead of vibrant and growing. This character quality of being teachable will affect a person's love affair with Jesus.
4). Learn to act. Notice again what David said: "Teach me to do your will." David wasn't asking for more information so that he knew the most about God, being able to one day beat everyone at Heaven's version of Trivial Pursuit. Rather, he wanted God to teach him to do what God wanted him to do. Our heart should be the same. As we spend time in God's word and in prayer, we should come away from those times with new ideas of how to accomplish God's will. And this leads back to the fact that God, who is God, has a will. This will is not always in perfect alignment with our own. But honestly, God's fine with it. Why? Because he's God. He doesn't need my opinion or approval to do what he wants. Being God comes with certain perks. And honestly: God's will is always right. In fact, when we find our desires not fitting with God's, it is then we need to changes our desires to fit what God wants.
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