Psalms 27:9-11 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me. 11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Having declared that he will seek God’s face, David immediately recognizes the weight of that pursuit. To seek God’s face means we are willing to have our own ways exposed. It means inviting Him not only to comfort but to correct.
David cries out, “Hide not Your face… cast me not off… forsake me not.” He knows that intimacy with God is not casual — it is covenantal. And yet in the same breath, he clings to God’s mercy: even if the closest human relationships fail, “the LORD will take me in.” Elul is the month when the God of mercy bends low to welcome us, not because we are flawless, but because He is faithful.
Then comes the prayer of repentance: “Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path.” David admits what every heart must admit — my way is not straight, my wisdom is not sufficient, my path is not secure. I need Him to teach me. I need Him to lead me. This is the posture of teshuvah — to turn from crooked paths back to His level road.
Elul is the appointed time for this humility. Just as Nehemiah’s workers restored the broken walls of Jerusalem in Elul, so we are called to let God repair the broken walls of our lives. Repentance is not a shameful word; it is a hopeful one. It is the Shepherd leading His sheep back to the path. It is the Father welcoming the prodigal home.
Beloved, hear the call of Elul: the shofar is sounding, the King is in the field, and He is not asking for perfection — He is asking for humility. Will you let Him teach you His way? Will you allow Him to pull you off the crooked road and set your feet on a level path? This is the cry of David, and it must become ours: “Teach me Your way, O LORD.”
Amen 🙏