Month: November 2021

Search me, O God, and know my heart.  Point out anything that offends You…

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

A recent trip to the dermatologist revealed something I wasn’t even aware of.  I made the appointment because I was concerned about a spot on my hand that’s been there for quite a while.  It didn’t bother me, but it was a small rough spot that didn’t go away, and it seemed wise to have it checked out.

            During the exam, the dermatologist did a thorough check of my face, arms, and upper body.  She noticed a tiny dark spot that I hadn’t even been aware of.  She said it looked suspicious and recommended cutting it out and sending it to the lab for testing. I don’t have the results yet, but I’m so thankful she found that spot and knew what to do about it.

            That same week, my Bible study lesson was from Psalm 139.  David prayed this prayer in verses 23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart.  Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Why do we need to ask God to search us?  Don’t we know our own heart?  The answer is “No.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand (know) it?”  If we examine our own heart, we may become aware of certain things that are not quite right, but it may not seem like a big deal.  Psalm 139 tells us that God knows our thoughts; He knows what we are going to say even before we speak.  He also knows our attitudes and motivations that no one else can see.

            When God searches our heart, He brings to light sins that we may not even be aware of.  But it is not for the purpose of condemning or punishing us.  Romans 8:1 (AMP) assures us “There is now no condemnation (no guilty verdict, no punishment) for those who are in Christ Jesus (who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior).”  When God reveals sin, it is so that we can confess, repent, and be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. We can live in freedom from guilt and shame.  We can live with hearts full of gratitude for what Jesus did on the cross to save us from our sins.  We can ask God for opportunities to share with others the Good News with those who don’t yet know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

David Guzik’s Enduring Word commentary about Psalm 139:23-24 warns us: “It is a serious thing to pray because it invites painful exposures and surgery if we truly mean it.  Still, it is what every wise believer should desire.”

Asking God to search our heart will take time alone with Him.  Find a time and place where you can be undisturbed.  We can ask Him to quiet our minds and give us ears to hear what He wants to say and hearts to respond to whatever He shows us. I’m reminded that it is something I need to do often! 

…so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…

Colossians 1:10

A memory comes to mind of my daughter when she was first learning to walk.  We would help her stand up and then encourage her to take a few steps toward our outstretched hands, ready to catch her if she started to fall.  I remember sitting out on the grass in our front yard excitedly watching as she would attempt to stand up by herself. After just a few unsteady steps, she would fall.  But with a little coaxing, she would stand up and try again.  Each step was a celebration!

            Today, I’m thinking about how our Father must take delight in our small steps of obedience that draw us closer to Him.  I’m thinking about the many small steps I have taken in the last two years which have resulted in writing weekly messages on my website. More recently I compiled a book of the earliest messages.  If I had known what it would take to get this far, I may have been tempted not to take even the first step!

            Many of the first devotional messages were written about 25 years ago.  A friend and I were both writing at the time and getting together to share what we had written.  There was no plan to do anything with what we wrote, and they remained in my file cabinet until two years ago when I was prompted to get them out of the file cabinet and re-read them.  As I prayed and asked God if there was something I should do with them, no clear answer came right away.  But more ideas for new messages came to mind, and I started writing again. 

I rediscovered notes I had written from a talk our pastor’s wife had shared with the women’s group at church.  I picked them up and read them again, and the first line I had written was this: “Just take the next step.  Even if you don’t feel qualified; even if you don’t know the final outcome.”

That has been my guiding principle ever since.  And I can look back and clearly see how God led each next step of the journey He has planned for me.  My first idea was to just make copies of the devotionals I’d written, staple them together and hand them to a few friends.  But God had something completely different in mind.  Through a friend who had started posting devotionals on a website, I was encouraged to create a website and begin posting weekly messages.  Way easier said than done to create a website!!  But with lots of prayer and dependence on God, help from a friend and my son-in-law it happened! 

After a few months, a friend asked if I had ever considered compiling the devotional messages into a book.  She had several co-workers she would like to give them to.  I immediately said “No.” But within a couple of weeks, two other friends asked me the very same question. Again, I said “No.” I was still recovering from the trauma of creating a website!  But I realized it was the Lord who was prompting this next step. God brought a dear friend into my life who had already self-published quite a few books.  And she was willing to walk me through each next step. The book was published on Amazon on March 27^th this year (2021)!  No one could be more amazed than I am! It was definitely not something that I had planned for myself.

So, what does it mean to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord?”  I have personally experienced that it means taking each step that He calls me to take.  Even when I don’t see any farther than one step ahead. Even when I feel absolutely unqualified.  Even when I have no idea of the final outcome.  It means taking each step in faith, trusting that He will lead and provide everything necessary to accomplish His plan and His purpose. 

Having taken so many “next steps” in the last couple of years has strengthened my faith immeasurably.  And I can wholeheartedly encourage anyone else to be willing to listen to what God is calling you to do, and follow the steps He leads you to take! I’m certain that He delights in our small steps of obedience that result in His purpose being accomplished for His glory.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

What “next steps” is God calling you to take? 

Maybe there is a broken relationship He wants to mend.  Maybe there is a ministry He is calling you to.  Maybe there is a deeper level of intimacy with Himself He is calling you to. 

Please consider praying and asking God to show you what steps He wants you to take.  Trust that He has a perfect plan for your life and will clearly guide and provide as you willingly follow in obedience.

p.s. In case you’re interested in purchasing a copy of my devotional book, it is available on Amazon.com. The title is “Living in God’s Extravagant Grace; Encouragement from God’s Word.”

Psalm 139:1

Do you have someone in your life who knows you better than anyone else knows you?  Someone who knows what delights you, one who knows how to comfort you when you are sad or lonely? That person is a treasured gift from God!

I encourage you to take some time to read Psalm 139.  You will discover that God knows us even better than we know ourselves!  There is way too much in this chapter for a single devotional message, so today I just want to focus on verses 1-6.

Verse 1 says “You have searched me and known me.” The following verses tell us what He knows about us!

He knows when we sit down, and rise up (verse 2)

He knows what we think (verse 2)

He knows where we are at all times (verse 3)

He knows what we will say even before we speak a word (verse 4)

God knows everything about us!  Not a moment of our lives escapes His attention!  He is omniscient. 

In verse 5 we learn that He “enclosed us behind and in front” (NASB). I looked up the meaning of “enclosed” in the original Hebrew.  It means “to lay siege to.”  Think of a conquering army completely surrounding a city in order to capture it.  God surrounds us with Himself!  He is our protector.

This reminds me of Job 1:8-12.  Satan is talking to God about Job.  He says “Does Job fear God for nothing?  Have you not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side?”  How would Satan know about that hedge that God had placed around Job?  He obviously had tried to attack Job in some way and had been unable because of God’s protective shield around Job.  If we continue reading, we discover that God is sovereign over Satan’s power to attack Job.  God puts a limit on how much He allows Satan to harm Job. He is omnipotent.

Job’s story encourages me to believe that God is the shield all around me.  Nothing touches me without His permission.  And whatever He allows, it is for His good purpose and our ultimate good.  After all the suffering Job goes through, he has a greater understanding of God than he ever had before. 

In verses 7-12 we learn that there is no place we can go to hide from God.  Not the heavens or the deepest sea, not darkness or light will hide us.  Genesis 3:8 tells us about Adam and Eve attempting to hide from God.  Jonah 1:1-3 is the story of Jonah running the opposite direction from where God had told him to go.  We are not able to hide from God.  Nothing is hidden from Him.   He is omnipresent.

 Psalm 139 ends with the words, “Search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked (hurtful, offensive) way in me.”  We might think that we are doing pretty good.  Others might even think we are doing pretty good.  But Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that we don’t even know our own hearts.  God knows every thought, every word, every attitude, every motivation.  If we truly want a pure heart that is pleasing to God, we can ask Him to search us.  As He shows us what needs to be changed, we can confess and be forgiven.  What an amazing gift!

PERSONAL REFLECTION

How do you respond to the truth that God knows everything about you?

If you are serious about asking God to search your heart, it takes time alone with Him.  It takes time to listen in a place free of distractions, something it would be good to do often!

Is there anything you need to confess? 

Write a prayer of thanks for what He has shown you.  Know for sure that He has forgiven you for whatever you have confessed.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Another friend’s husband went to be with Jesus a few days ago.  So many are suffering from Covid-related illness and loss.  Our hearts hurt for those who face loneliness without their loved ones.  But in the midst of the grief, for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus, there is hope.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. 

I’m reminded to ask the Lord how to personally reach out to friends who are grieving.  I have learned that it often helps to just be available to sit with them and listen.  Offering to bring a meal or do errands for someone is a practical way to reach out. 

Many years ago, I learned a very important lesson during a really difficult time.  My husband was in the hospital for several weeks and I had two young children at home. I had several friends call and offer help with anything I needed.  One even offered to provide a meal any time I needed one.  I realize now that it was my own pride that kept me from asking for help.  But one friend called and said, “I have a meal prepared for you.  When is a good time for me to deliver it?”  That was easier to receive.  I didn’t have to call and ask for it.

I recently read a prayer that helps me focus on how to pray for someone who is grieving:

Gracious and loving Father,

I pray for my friend who is grieving the loss of their loved one.  You know the intimate details of how deeply they are hurting, how painful the sorrow is, and what they need each day.  I ask that you bring them comfort and strength, fulfilling the promise that you are near to the brokenhearted.  Surround them, Lord, with a community of people who will show them love, compassion, and care.  I ask that you would help them in their darkest moments to cling to you.  Help them to draw near to you as they are grieving.  I ask that they will find hope and healing in the coming months and years.  Lord, keep watch over them and their family who are grieving.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 13:15 (NIV)

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Ask God if there is someone today who could use encouragement in their time of grief or suffering.  Trust Him for wisdom to know what they need and what you can offer that will comfort them and show His love.

Maybe you are the one who is suffering.  Trust God to send someone to help you during this difficult time.  Be willing to receive help as a gift from Him when it is offered.

Psalm 46:10

Psalm 46 begins “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear though the earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.  Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake at its swelling pride.”

That reminds me of Jesus with His disciples in Mark 4:35-39.  Even though it may be a familiar Scripture, I love to revisit it occasionally to be reminded of the awesome power of our Lord.  Jesus had been teaching the crowds by the sea all day.  When evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side.”  On the way across the sea in a boat, a fierce wind came up.  The waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was filling up.  Jesus was asleep!  The disciples were terrified! They woke Him. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”  Jesus got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Peace; be still.” The wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

In Psalm 46:10, we get the same message: “Be still.”  That means that when we are in one of our “storms” of life, we are to relax, or cease striving to figure out everything on our own. Those who know the Lord and belong to Him have the assurance that we are never alone.  He is always with us.  And He is sovereign over absolutely everything in our life.

It’s interesting to notice that the boat trip across the sea was Jesus’ idea!  The disciples were in the boat with Jesus at His invitation.  That assures me that just because we are experiencing a storm that threatens to sink us, it doesn’t mean that we have stepped outside of God’s will.  Isaiah 43:2 promises, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.”

Here is a song that is so encouraging! You can listen to it on YouTube:

Sometimes He Calms the Storm

By Scott Krippayne

All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong
Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control

Chorus:

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn’t mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we’re shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ
No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place

Repeat chorus

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Are you experiencing a threatening “storm” in your life now?  Remember that Jesus is “in the boat” with you.  Write a prayer acknowledging your need for Him to calm the storm. 

Remember past “storms” and the ways that the Lord provided.  Thank Him for His presence which brings peace.

Maybe someone you know needs to hear this message.  Pray for God’s timing to share this message of encouragement with them.