“Show and tell”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, April 15, 2024
Psalm 25 (Forward, p. 77) (CEV p. 568)
I’m not sure whether this is still standard practice in schools in the earlier grades but a time of ‘show and tell’ was something quite common when my boys were growing up—sometimes, I must say, to the embarrassment of both the teacher and the parents, for you never could predict what a child might bring up.
Today in reading over our psalm, Psalm 25, I spotted something I’d never noticed before, the word ‘show’. To me, it was sort of like a divine ‘show and tell’, only in this case, it was David that was doing the showing and telling. And here it gets mighty interesting. Twice David touches on personal needs, how he needs God to intervene in his life:
“Please, Lord, remember you have always been patient and kind. Forget each wrong I did when I was young. Show how truly kind you are and remember me” (verses 6- 7).
“I am lonely and troubled. Show that you care and have pity on me” (verse 16).
Here he is invoking God to continue with the care and loving kindness that He has always shown to David, to show it or demonstrate it once again.
And then twice David requests from God a different kind of ‘showing’, a showing or demonstrating of the proper way to live:
“Show me your paths and teach me to follow; guide me by your truth and instruct me. You keep me safe, and I always trust you” (vs 4-5).
“You will show the right path to all who worship you. They will have plenty, and then their children will receive the land” (verses 12-13).
This is especially pertinent within this psalm for David frequently mentions such things as his wrongs (verse 7) and his terrible sins (verse 11). And he is quite eloquent about the need for this instruction among God’s people:
“You are honest and merciful, and you teach sinners how to follow your path” (verse 8).
“You lead humble people to do what is right and to stay on your path” (verse 9).
It is worth noting, in passing, how David mentions that God has laid out a path for us to follow—which means, of course, that it is not up to us to chart our path, to figure out our plans, but simply to wait upon the Lord, to seek His path and His way, and then to follow it. So often, sadly, we are of the mind that it is all ‘up to us’ to decide where we will go, to act as if we were the lords of our lives—when, in reality, it is God and God alone.
Forward notes: “Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths” (verse 3).
“As a daily walker, I am grateful for the many paths and trails in the beautiful landscape near my home. Each journey is different, even on the same trail I walk regularly. The light changes dramatically. Seasons affect the range of colours and what’s blooming or not. The air might be crisp and cool, hot and dry, sub-freezing and snowy. The terrain itself varies considerably with seasons and usage. And the sounds are marvelous. On a recent walk along a riverfront trail, I listened to geese—first in flight overhead, next as they gently landed in the water, and then as they talked it all over with one another while deciding how to deal with the ducks approaching from the shoreline.
“The psalmist’s prayer today reveals much the same perspective about our dynamic relationship with God and the path we travel on our spiritual journey. We are sometimes surprised, frequently enlightened, and always moving. Each day of the journey is different as the seasons change.”
Moving Forward: “How does your experience of nature shape your spiritual journey?”