December 1 Petition Mission

“Let my cry come before You, O Lord; give me understanding according to Your word” (Ps 119:169). Five times in this monumental psalm (vv 34, 73, 125, 144, and here) David prays, “Give me understanding.”

The state where I live has a commonly heard refrain: “Stay in school!” They tell young people that it is the Number 1 factor in determining success or failure in life. That may be so, although it should be noted that Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg all left college before they graduated, and they seem to have made enough to buy the groceries!

But David was speaking about a different kind of education, sadly unknown by many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. He first understood that what he needed to navigate life to God’s satisfaction (the One he wanted to please) was an understanding of God’s Word. He also knew that such understanding was a gift, “hidden…from the wise and prudent and revealed…to babes” (Lk 10:21). Teach me, Lord!