Having A Teachable Heart—A Way To SEE GOD

Have you ever wondered what it ‘looks like’ to have a teachable heart?

We have many examples in Scripture. I’ll point out just a few.


• Moses prayed in Exo. 33:13—

‘…teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.’
• The Psalmists, including David prayed: Ps 25:4 ‘Teach me your paths’; Ps 25:5 ‘Guide me in your truth and teach me’; Ps 51:6 ‘Teach me wisdom’; Ps 86:11; ‘Teach me your way, O LORD’; many times in Ps 119 he asked, ‘Teach me your decrees’; then he asked in verse 33, ‘Teach me, O LORD , to follow your decrees’. In verse 66, he asks, ‘Teach me knowledge and good judgment; and in verse 108, ‘Teach me your laws’. In Ps 143:10, he prays ‘Teach me to do your will, for you are my God’.

So we learn from the above examples that a teachable heart is revealed when we ask God to teach us. And we learn also what to ask God for as we observe their example.

Another good way that a teachable heart is revealed is in asking a friend or family member who knows us well.


• Perhaps the best example in Scripture is Job, when he responds to his friends who are trying to help him: Job 6:24 ‘Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong’; and Job 34:32 ‘Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.' Job’s attitude has always been challenging to me in that it reveals a very humble, non-defensive spirit. Job really wanted to please God; and when he thought he was not, he was eager to find out what he had done wrong and was willing to change—even going to his friends who knew him well to ask them.

Often, looking at what a teachable heart is not helps us discern whether we really have one. Here are a few questions we can ask ourselves to find out if we do have a heart that is teachable:
1. Do I often ask God to point out what I need to know and then be attentive for His answer?
2. Do I ask Him to enable me, by His grace, to put it into practice? And do I really want to change in order to glorify God in my life?
3. Do I have a humble heart to receive correction from a friend or family member when I have done wrong? Or do I become defensive, or blame others for my lack?


These are some questions I ask myself in order to SEE GOD and His faithful work in my life. Many times, as I am reading God’s word or a devotional book He gets my attention and I know He is speaking to me. Other times He reveals a need in my life through my husband, children or a friend. He is faithful because He loves us and cares about every area of our lives.