“Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,” ~ Psalm 94:12, ESV
Over the past 40 years of my life, I have had some wonderful Bible teachers. I have sat at the feet of countless pastors and evangelists who poured their knowledge into me and taught me the scriptures. I even had the benefit of living at Christian boarding schools where they taught me to be a leader in the church.
While I appreciate everything I learned from my human teachers–the best and worst of them–I admit that I would not be a Christian if it wasn’t for God Himself.
There was a point in my life where I was tired of trying to make sense of all of the different theological perspectives that were competing for my attention. In desperation, I got on my knees one day in my bedroom when I was about 15 years old and prayed that God would teach me His word.
God began answering my prayer that day as Bible verses started coming to mind one after another. They came so fast that I struggled to write them all down. Those Bible verses revealed that Christianity was not primarily about rules, but about having a loving relationship with God and our fellow man. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Verse after verse flooded my mind until I was convinced that God loved me and my only proper response was to love and trust Him with my eternal destiny.
Here are a few of the verses of Scripture that God brought to my attention that day: Matthew 7:12, Matthew 22:34-40, John 13:34-35, John 15:17. Romans 13:8. Romans 13:10, Galatians 5:14, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 13:13, James 2:8, 1 John 3:14, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 4:21, 1 John 4:7-8, 2 John 1:5
I am positive that the Holy Spirit was hovering over me that fateful day, bringing all of the little bits and pieces of teaching I had learned over the years into a cohesive whole. All of the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place on their own. God was teaching me.
The lesson that started that day has never stopped. Everyday I learn something new, and I gain a deeper love and appreciation for what God has taught me out of His holy word. But I don’t get the credit for being educated in the things of God. The credit belongs to God who is my teacher. He has instructed me about His law.
In Psalms 94:12 we learn that God teaches those who are willing to listen to His voice. He has a special blessing in store for those who seek His will in all things. He is more than happy to grant us knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. In that verse we see the word “Law” which means instruction. This includes the whole of Scripture and not only the laws of Moses or Ten Commandments.
It is wonderful to have human instructors who can help us on our path towards spiritual maturity, but they can only take us to a certain point. The only one who can make sense of God’s word is God himself. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets is the same spirit who helps us to interpret His message to us.
Lord God, please give us a deeper understanding of your Holy will.
~Stephen Beagles