Friday, January 14, 2011

Perhaps the scariest prayer a Christian will ever pray!

Psalm 139:23-24 (Good News for Modern Man translation)

Examine me, God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.  Find out if there is any deceit in me, and guide me in the eternal way.

The mind is a beautiful thing isn't it?  In our humanness we have all thought "If they only knew what I was thinking right about now!"  However, "they" can't.  Oh, they can speculate, but by no means could they know 100% what I'm thinking....off the hook?Absolutely not!  Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we are thinking at any given moment.  In fact, He is more interested in this than He is actions.  He knows full well we could at times win an Oscar for our ability to think one thing and act out another.

We would be wise to follow in the steps of King David when he prayed, search me O God and know my MIND, test me and discover my THOUGHTS.  Other translations exchange mind for heart.  Is this saying that God has to search my thoughts to see if they are are wicked.  No! At the beginning of this Psalm King David acknowledges this:  "....from far away you understand all my thoughts....even before I speak you already know what I will say.

But when we bring a prayer like this one to our Heavenly Father, it is so that He may reveal to us what is in our heart.  The Bible says that we can't even know our own hearts.  He will be faithful to reveal the illnesses that reside in our thoughts and heart....that's not the fun part, perhaps that's why this is a scary prayer.  Knowledge always brings us to a crossroads, and we must respond.  We think ignorance is bliss.  Not so, at least not in our Christian walk.

However, there is good that comes out of this prayer.  God doesn't reveal the sin within us and then leave us on our own or get angry with us.  Instead, He will guide us in the way He wants us to go.  Guides are big helps.  I enjoyed going to Washington DC on several occasions and having the opportunity to go to the Smithsonian Institute.  I went on many tours, allowing the tour guide to help me get the most out of my time there.  Well, we also need a guide here on earth.  I am basically just a tourist here on this earth for a short time.  I need a guide to help me get the most out of my time here.  My Heavenly Father is my tour guide.  He keeps me from getting sidetracked, getting slowed down by my sin.

Today take a moment to pray this prayer.  Let me know how it goes.


To God be the glory