Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
—Psalm 25:4
If the scriptures are to be taken literally, why is the prayer to be taught God's ways so frequent in the psalms? If I can simply read the words and know that they mean what they say, why not a frequent prayer for the strength to follow the path that I can see so clearly because I take the words of the Bible literally?
The Bible is not a book simply to be taken literally, but collection of books written by a community and interpreted by and in a community. To imply that we can read its messages in privacy and out of their context and be blessed with knowledge of the mind of God is both dishonest and a disservice to persons seeking faith.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Amen.
—Psalm 25:5
