“Instruct me, O Jehovah . . . Unify my heart to fear your name.”—PSALM 86:11.
‘O JEHOVAH, you are God, you alone.’ (Psalm 86:8, 10) David praised God from a heart brimming with appreciation. Even before David became king over all Israel, Jehovah had delivered him from Saul and from the Philistines. Hence, he could sing: “Jehovah is my crag and my stronghold and the Provider of escape for me. With someone loyal you will act in loyalty.” (2 Samuel 22:2, 26) Jehovah had preserved his loyal servant through many trials. David could place his trust and confidence in his loyal God, but he needed continued guidance. David now petitioned God: “Instruct me, O Jehovah, about your way.”—Psalm 86:11.
David wanted nothing to do with worldly ideas or philosophies. He wanted to be “taught by Jehovah,” as God’s prophet later expressed it. (Isaiah 54:13) David could likely meditate on only nine books of the Bible available in his day. Yet, that instruction from Jehovah was precious to him! In being taught, we today can feast upon all 66 books of the Bible, as well as upon an abundance of Kingdom literature provided through “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45) Like David, let us call on Jehovah, that his spirit may help us to search into “the things that God has prepared for those who love him, . . . even the deep things of God.”—1 Corinthians 2:9, 10.
The Bible has the answer to every question and problem that may arise in our lives. “For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) Absorbing the instruction from Jehovah will strengthen us to endure hardships, comfort us in times of depression, and keep the Kingdom hope burning brightly in our hearts. May we find delight in reading God’s Word and in meditating on it “day and night,” for Bible-based wisdom becomes “a tree of life to those taking hold of it, and those keeping fast hold of it are to be called happy.”—Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 3:13-18; see also John 17:3.
God’s Son, Jesus, also called the “Son of David,” always looked to Jehovah for instruction. (Matthew 9:27) He said: “The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” “I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.” (John 5:19; 8:28) Jesus left a model for us “to follow his steps closely.” (1 Peter 2:21) Just think! If we study as Jesus must have done, in any situation we will be able to act as Jehovah would have us act. Jehovah’s way is always the right way.
David next declares: “I shall walk in your truth.” (Psalm 86:11) A thousand years later, Pilate, addressing the Son of David, Jesus, asked: “What is truth?” But Jesus had just answered that question, telling Pilate: “My kingdom is no part of this world,” adding: “You yourself are saying that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:33-38) Jesus thus made known that the truth focuses on the Messianic Kingdom. Indeed, the entire theme of the Bible is the sanctification of Jehovah’s name through that Kingdom.—Ezekiel 38:23; Matthew 6:9, 10; Revelation 11:15.
What does it mean to walk in the truth? It means to make the Kingdom hope the main concern of our lives. We must live Kingdom truth. We must be undivided in putting Kingdom interests first, zealous according to our opportunities in bearing witness to Kingdom truth, after Jesus’ example. (Matthew 6:33; John 18:37) We cannot walk part of the time in the truth, giving merely token service but then pleasing ourselves by taking detours to indulge in excessive recreation or to enter on a time-consuming career or “slave . . . for Riches.” (Matthew 6:24) We could get lost on one of those byways, never to find the way back onto ‘the cramped road leading off into life.’ Let us not stray from that road! (Matthew 7:13, 14) Our Grand Instructor, Jehovah, through his Word and organization, illuminates the road, saying: “‘This is the way. Walk in it, you people,’ in case you people should go to the right or in case you should go to the left.”—Isaiah 30:21.
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