Draw near to God for He will instruct you

Psalms 32:8-9

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

which must be curbed with bit and bridle,

9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

heal me, YHWH, for my bones are terrified,

or it will not stay near you.

Psalm 32 begins on a “happy” note because we are forgiven, and v. 5 continues the happy assurance of that our guilt is lifted when we have confessed. Like the Psalmist, I have always found such relief each time I run to God, confess and repent.

Verses 8-9 seem like an anti-climatic shift: God (alternatively, some say the psalmist) will instruct, teach, and counsel. So we must be willing, teachable, and not be an obstinate mule. After the joy of thanksgiving, the psalmist now turns to teach others how to live. I realized I really needed to hear God’s instructions.

In recent months, I have been burdened over a very major financial transaction that has not been going the way that I have so diligently calculated and planned over 3 years, leveraging on my two decades of experience.

Verse 8 shines a fresh light: I have tried my best to overcome my challenges with my own abilities. I have been stubbornly framing my current struggle from my own perspective. Without God, I have become the mule without understanding, who has not stayed near to God. No wonder God uses the bit and bridle to humble me and turn me back to him.

I confess and repent of my sin in elevating my abilities, and hence myself, above God. For someone that grew up in the marketplace, this surrender can feel really scary. But the suffocating cloud of self-inflicted worries is starting to lift, and I rest on the assurance that God will “counsel me with His eye upon me”.

Have you tried all you can but still struggle with an unresolved situation? Put God first. Draw close to Him, for He will personally watch over you. He will surely instruct you and teach you.

Tan Bong Loo
(Occasional Student)