Prayer And Understanding

Tὰς ὁδούς σου Kύριε γνώρισόν μοι καὶ τὰς τρίβους σου δίδαξόν με, ὁδήγησόν με ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου καὶ δίδαξόν με ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ θεὸς ὁ σωτήρ μου καὶ σὲ ὑπέμεινα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν Ἐγὼ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ἰκετεύω τὰς σὰς ὁδοὺς διαγνῶναι, καὶ τὰς πρός με φερούσας τρίβους μαθεῖν, ὥστε δινηεκῶς τὴν ἀπλανῆ σου καὶ ἀληθῆ πορείαν ὁδεύειν. Ἔπειτα δι' αὐτῶν ἰκετεύω τῶν πραγμάτων μαθεῖν, ὅτι Σωτὴρ ὑπάρχεις ἐμός· τὴν γὰρ παρὰ σοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν προσμένω διηνεκῶς. Τὸ γὰρ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀεὶ τέθεικεν· καὶ διδάξαι βούλεται, ὡς οὐ νῦν μεν τὰύτην ἔχει τὴν γνώμην, νῦν δὲ ἑτέραν ἀντὶ ταύτης εἰσδέχεται. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Ἑρμηνεία εἰς Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΚΔ’ Source: Migne PG 80.1037a

Make your ways known to me, O Lord, and teach me your paths, lead me to your truth and teach me that you are God my Saviour, for you I wait all day long. 1 First I pray that I might know your ways and learn the paths which lead me to you, so that I might always and without delusion truly travel on the way. Then I pray to you that I might learn what it means for you to be my Saviour, for I am always expecting your mercy. And this 'all day long' is put here for 'always,' for he wishes to teach that he does not have this understanding at one time and a different one at another time. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 24 1 Ps 24.4-5