Sunday Devotional: Psalm 139:23-24

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; examine me and know my disquieting thoughts, ²⁴ and see if a way of pain is in me, and lead me in the way of eternity.

If you recall, the context of this psalm is David expressing his confidence that the Lord who knows all, and who knows him intimately, can vindicate him in the midst of his accusers. God knows that David is without blame–at least in terms of the accusations fired against him. In these closing words, David is willing to have his deepest, most intimate thoughts laid bare before the Lord. Not only is he sure that such an examination will demonstrate that he is innocent of the crimes ascribed to him, but that he may also be made aware of any sinful thoughts that need to be dealt with. In other words, David not only sought vindication before men, but also sanctification before God.

Verse 23 is not so much David granting the Lord permission to search his heart–the Lord hardly needs, nor asks, for such permission. He knows our hearts whether we want Him to or not. Rather, David declares himself willing and welcoming of such scrutiny by his Creator. So sure is he of his innocence, that he knows the Lord will find nothing to hold against him with regard to the matter at hand. We don’t know exactly what this matter is, but David’s words challenge us: are we so sure of the truthfulness and sincerity of our words and thoughts, that we would welcome the Lord’s examination of them? As we noted in a previous week, the Lord already knows our hearts, our motives, and the honesty (or lack thereof) of our speech. Is this something that makes us uncomfortable, or at peace? If we feel at all uncomfortable, then maybe we are harboring thoughts and motives we shouldn’t.

David’s “disquieting thoughts” are those thoughts that cause him to be troubled, or anxious. Again, the challenge is whether we are at peace with our thought life. When the light of God’s truth is shone upon our lives, do we squirm and hide, or do we stand with confidence? Do we want our sin to be illuminated by our Heavenly Father, so He might lead us away from that path to the eternal path? Or do we want to hide our sin away, and protect it from the Lord’s cleansing grace?

We need to be willing to let go of all that disquiets us–every sinful thought, desire, and motive. Our chief desire is not only to have a blameless reputation before men, but more importantly, to have a character that glorifies God in its reflection of His goodness and purity. This requires us exposing ourselves to His refining fire, allowing Him to search out our hearts and draw out of us the remaining sin in our lives. It won’t be pleasant, but it’s necessary if we are to be sanctified and useful to the Lord in His kingdom.

Have a great week!