Psalm 25:9 says, The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. The dictionary defines meek or meekness as “to be quiet, gentle and submissive.” As I read this verse, I noticed it does not say, “The loud will He guide,” or “the proud will He teach his way.” In general, it comes easy for us as humans to be proud. Yes, sometimes we even can be a loud people.
As a parent, I can attest that raising three children is not a quiet task. It can get very loud in my home at times with my children, whether they are playing, arguing over random things, or just talking. My husband and I must remind them to be quiet. I have said to my children often, “God gave us two ears to hear and just one mouth. This is so we can listen more.” I am so thankful the Lord gave us only one mouth! There have been times when I have given my children specific instruction, and instead of listening, they continue talking and being loud. I ask them, “Now, what did I tell you to do?” One usually tries to make up something and is completely wrong while the other admits that they only heard the beginning and ending of my instruction. If we want guidance in our lives from the Lord, we need to be quiet and listen.
I am one who gets very distracted, whether I am reading a book, studying, or even sitting in church while hearing the pastor preach. Yes, I am the one who yells “Squirrel!” when I see a squirrel. I try to get up before my children every morning so I can have my coffee and read my Bible in peace without any noises or distractions. If they happen to get up before me, I send them to their rooms so I can read my Bible. I just cannot have any distractions while I read my Bible. I always tell them, “If you want Mommy to be nice, you will let me read my Bible and drink my coffee first.” I need to get what I need from God’s Word in that quiet time with no noises, no TV, and no phone—just God’s Word is present. In that quiet time, I know that God can teach me, and He can take the time to show me what He wants to show me for that day.
God wants to guide us and lead us every day, but we need to remember to be quiet and listen for His voice. If we have all of these noises around us, I am afraid we will not hear the instructions fully. It would be almost the same as if our GPS were to show us the starting point and finishing point in our road trip but not the in-between roads. We would get lost!
I can remember when I started working on an ambulance. GPS was very new back then. It would sometimes take us the wrong way, and we would end up at the wrong address. Fortunately, we would always have our map book close by, and it would always lead us the right way.
The Bible says in Matthew 11:15, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. We have the Word of God, and all we must do is open it, hear it, and let God speak to us and change us. The Bible says, The meek will he guide…and the meek will he teach… Just as the map book never led us astray, we have the Map Book of life, and it will never fail us. If we walk in meekness and submit to follow God’s leading, He will guide us and teach us in the right way.
by Mandy Harper