Good morning Family of God. Hope all is well with you this beautiful So Cal morning. It's been a great day already for me. We had a great time of prayer with the men of The River; and then in my devotions this morning. I was so blessed by Psalm 139.23-24.
Psalms 139:23-24 (HCSB)
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.
Here David expresses his great desire for God to know his heart in all its depths. He wants God himself to search him, and search him completely; shifting every motive, every thought, till every part of his heart, with all of its deepest thoughts, is known and understood. He almost demands an investigation. This is not what most of us are asking God for – "God, come and put me on trial! Investigate everything about me. Come search and look and discover all that is in me, my innermost self, and see if there is there is anything that offends you!"
David, at this time in his walk with God, is so bold in asking God to come and shift his heart. You would have to feel pretty good about your heart to talk like this. But this very thing we need to ask God to do for us – "search us O God! Come and search and shift and reveal all that is still of Adam living in me and take away that fallen man and clothe me in Christ head to toe. Oh that we would have the grace to ask God for such an inquiry! Instead of drawing back into the shadows of fear and compromise and sin, may we come boldly into God's penetrating light. May we once and for all get rid of our "fig leaves" and dwell forever in God's penetrating and liberating light!
Be assured of this, the Holy Spirit is today, within us, searching the depths of our hearts. Jeremiah 17.9,10 "the human (carnal or natural) heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable-who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart…" The Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Truth will not leave us to ourselves. He comes faithfully to us, working in us, removing our heart of compromise and sin, putting His desires in us, taking out of us our "hearts of flesh," that is willing and able to do the will of God.
Try me, and know my thoughts. Let us pray as David did, and be honest, for we cannot hide our sin; our salvation and blessing is in the discovery of evil, and the repentance and cutting off, by God's grace, of sin. My prayer is that each of us would desire such searching; for sin to remain in our hearts unknown and undiscovered will only steal our blessings and fruitfulness. This morning come to the Throne of Grace to receive mercy for our failures and grace to help us be Christlike in the deepest parts of our life. Come, crying out "search me Father, and see if there is anything in me harmful, sinful,
'A true believer fears no trial. He is willing to be tried by God. He is willing to have his faith tried by others, he shuns not the touchstone. He is much in testing himself. He is willing to hear the worst as well as the best. The preaching that pleases him best which is that preaching that is most searching and convicting: Hebrews 4:12. —David Clarkson (1622-1686).
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