When You Need God to Show You the Way - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - May 27, 2026
“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4-5, NIV).
Have you ever been in a season where you didn’t know what direction to take? Or maybe you were driving in the car without a GPS and confused about which right the map suggested was the next one? Maybe you even had a plan, but watched it fall to pieces when your health decided to crash. No matter the circumstance, seasons of confusion, anxiety, and transition are uncomfortable. But David provides a model of prayer for uncertain believers in Psalm 25.
At the beginning of this Psalm, David asks God to “Show me your ways.” Like David, we often want immediate answers. If God hasn’t answered in 5 or 10 minutes, we grow impatient. What I love about David’s statement here, however, is that he asks first for God’s ways, not merely His outcomes. And this is hard to do. If we want God to show us His ways, that means we have to be willing to do 2 things:
1. Surrender our personal timelines.
2. Ask God to shape our character and not just our circumstances.
Sometimes, our dreams and plans align with God’s. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes God changes the circumstances. Sometimes, He changes us within those circumstances. And this is why David then prays, “Teach me your paths.” David doesn’t just want to be shown the right way; he wants to know what God wants for Him. Talk about a change of agenda!
For God to teach us His paths, we need to remember that faith is learned over time. Thankfully, God guides us through a process of clarity. While I’ve even wished that God would reveal everything to me at once, I’ve realized that one step at a time keeps me humble and dependent on Him. Spiritual growth requires humility and teachability in slow seasons. It’s trusting God even when you can’t see the path forward, because you know His character. You know and trust that He is good.
Once we’ve asked God to show us His ways and teach us His paths, we can then follow Him into His truth. “Guide me in your truth” is a word that anchors us in emotionally confusing seasons. Because God’s truth remains stable even when our emotions fluctuate, instead of returning to fear, we will return to God’s Word. Instead of believing cultural lies about worth, success, or control, we look to Him who created us. And this is why David ends with, “My hope is in you all day long.”
Notice that David didn’t end with certain plans or revelations. He didn’t know the five-year plan or have a color-coded agenda. Rather, he places his hope and confidence in Christ alone. Hope in God is continual dependence, and David models this persistent trust. Instead of relying on ourselves daily or panicking when things don’t go as planned, we can practice practical rhythms of hope. Cling to prayer and worship. Journal and sit in silence as you wait for Him to speak. Ask Him to show you His ways over your own.
Psalm 25 teaches us that God guides surrendered hearts, and today, you and I have an opportunity to surrender ourselves fully to Him. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s always worth it. Because the waiting isn’t wasted, and God’s direction is relational, not mechanical. Over time, hope grows through dependence.
If you’re waiting for God to show you His ways today, I want to encourage you that feeling lost or uncertain is often part of the process. You’re not alone, and it’s okay not to know. But God isn’t withholding Himself from those who seek Him. Sometimes, He’s growing us through the process. And even when you can’t see Him, dig deep into those roots. He’s still there, holding you firmly, encouraging you for the unseen journey ahead.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, we sincerely seek you today. Help us to trust you above the outcome and to believe that you have good in store for our future. Show us your ways, Lord, and even when we don’t know the five-year plan, help us to take the next best step. Your plans for us are good, and we can trust you with what we don’t know. We love, praise, thank, and trust you, Jesus. Amen.
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
