- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 18,404
Brave Heart?
'Cross-examine and test me' Psalm 139:23
The bravest prayer in the Bible is believed to be David's prayer in Psalm 139 - is your heart brave enough to pray this?
'Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life.'
Eek! Allowing God to have a rummage, checking under your bed? God knowing your deepest darkest moments, what goes on in your head, what you get up to with your mates plus what you do when no one is looking? Asking Him to fill out a feedback sheet on what He thinks. Daring to let Him compare your life, your actions and your attitudes to His? Now that's scary!
No one's gonna come out looking good praying a prayer like that are they? So why pray it? Why ask to be put under a microscope?
We only really recognise where we're going wrong when God points it out. We're forever making excuses about the stuff we do wrong that we can end up believing it's OK, acceptable, even right!
But when we allow God to take over our mess, something incredible happens. Romans 8 tells us, 'Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. ... attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life' (vv. 5-8 TM). It's not only the bravest prayer, but the best prayer to pray.
written by Bob Gass
'Cross-examine and test me' Psalm 139:23
The bravest prayer in the Bible is believed to be David's prayer in Psalm 139 - is your heart brave enough to pray this?
'Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about; See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong - then guide me on the road to eternal life.'
Eek! Allowing God to have a rummage, checking under your bed? God knowing your deepest darkest moments, what goes on in your head, what you get up to with your mates plus what you do when no one is looking? Asking Him to fill out a feedback sheet on what He thinks. Daring to let Him compare your life, your actions and your attitudes to His? Now that's scary!
No one's gonna come out looking good praying a prayer like that are they? So why pray it? Why ask to be put under a microscope?
We only really recognise where we're going wrong when God points it out. We're forever making excuses about the stuff we do wrong that we can end up believing it's OK, acceptable, even right!
But when we allow God to take over our mess, something incredible happens. Romans 8 tells us, 'Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. ... attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life' (vv. 5-8 TM). It's not only the bravest prayer, but the best prayer to pray.
written by Bob Gass