30TH AUGUST
Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Total openness with God is the way forward in spiritual growth!
It’s amazing that we hold ourselves back from this kind of openness with God. He is completely trustworthy; he always responds with love and tenderness to those who come to him with humility and openness; he is open-hearted toward us, ready to reveal his own heart to us any time he finds us responsive to him; he wants what is good for us; he loves to bless us; the change he wants to bring into our lives, though sometimes painful or challenging, is always full of blessing for us.
Yet still, we hesitate to pray the prayer of these verses. If God searches my heart, he may expose some ugliness there that I don’t want to deal with. He may find a “grievous way in me” that I am used to and don’t want to root out. He may call me to cut out of my life some sinful way of relating or acting that I really don’t want to change. He may ask me to go talk to my neighbour or best friend about him and I don’t want to “damage” that relationship or invite that person over for dinner who I don’t really get along with.
“Lead me in the way everlasting” is a prayer that says, “Lord, if you will show me the way forward, I’ll trust you and go that way, even if it’s painful”.
MAKE IT PERSONAL
Can your pray the prayer above and mean it? If God leads you to act will you obey him? If not, what is holding you back?