Dangerous Prayer [2]

This week, we are continuing in our series of dangerous prayer and will be exploring ' Search me'.

                  Psalms 139: 23-24

"Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

The cries of David are honest, straight from the heart. David had a life of messy moments. From adultery and deception to murder. His fleshy desires had caused him much inner turmoil. Yet, instead of allowing these moments to define him, we see in the Psalms, a humility to run to God with his turmoil. Rather than settle in the mess, he decided to get things right with God.

David's prayers asking God to search him, is an invitation for God to reveal David's true character, and shape it better. His prayers show us the confidence and trust he had, that God loved him enough to correct him.

We can have the same confidence in a loving, forgiving God, giving us the courage to examine ourselves too.

What would happen if we started praying more boldly asking God to search our hearts and minds?

Asking God to search our hearts and minds is a crucial but dangerous prayer, because God will reveal to us things that we may not want to hear or like. This prayer has the potential to convict us, correct us, redirect our lives and change the way we see ourselves, and also change how others see us.

We can ask God to show us any ways that displease him and we should start with what others have mentioned to us first. Craig Groeschel challenges us to search for any areas of our lives, our habits, our relationships or our actions that we need to change. He says that if 2 or more people have voiced concern about a particular area of our lives that need addressing, that's a good place to start.

Hearing God's response can be challenging. It's not easy because we have also become masters at rationalizing our wrong actions. King David knew a lot about rationalizing ( 2 Samuel 11-12). We will never know the exact story he told himself when he had an affair with Bathsheba, then murdered her innocent husband Uriah to cover it up.

The more we open ourselves up to the process, little by little, those things of this world that have taken root within us, are cleared away to reveal our God given identity underneath.

The SEARCH ME process is not easy, and can be painful, but the more we open up;

Selfishness is chipped away to reveal generosity.

Anger is chipped away to reveal love.

Unsettledness and fear is chipped away to reveal peace and trust.

So today, take that step to pray for God to do a thorough cleansing of your heart and mind, but do it for yourself and not for anyone else, do it for your own growth, so you can live a more peaceful and joyful life.