Search Me

I like to pray. I like to pray those soft easy prayers where I ask God to bring world peace,

or feed the hungry, or heal the sick. Those are sincere prayers. I truly long for God to

bring an end to war and conflict and hatred. I honestly want to see the hungry fed and

the sick healed.

But those prayers require very little from me and therefore lead to very little

transformation in me. I can’t end the wars in Ukraine and Israel. I can’t end hunger or

heal the sick. Those large issues require God to move.

Of course, I do what I can to bring peace in my home or feed the person who shows up

at the church looking for financial assistance or reassure the sick that God is with them.

But again, those prayers seldom lead to transformation in my heart.

But there is another level of praying that seems ‘safe’ but is actually hazardous. Pastor

Craig Groeschel calls these prayers Dangerous Prayers.

They’re dangerous because when we earnestly pray them, God often moves in ways that

are not easy. Which is understandable. Jesus didn’t call us to a life of ease and comfort.

He called us to a life of faith and obedience.

King David prayed such a prayer. In Psalm 139:23-24, he writes:

23 ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

This prayer is David’s cry for God not to simply do something for him but to reveal

something in him. We don’t know exactly what was running through David’s mind, but

it is clear he was troubled. His thoughts are ‘anxious.’ David wanted to face whatever

was on his mind head-on so that he could turn them over to God.

Does worry or fear ever keep you up at night? They may seem small or overwhelming

but either way they matter. Because our fears show how we are relying on our own

abilities and not trusting God. David is asking God to show him those areas in his life

that he is still trying to ‘fix’ instead of trusting God to handle them.

As David’s ‘anxious thoughts’ were revealed, his faith in God grew. Faith doesn’t mean

you don’t get afraid. Faith means you don’t let fear stop you from doing what God has

called you to do.

Asking God to ‘search’ your heart and reveal those places that you are still clinging too

can be dangerous. God might force you to face those things and decide whether you

truly trust Him with your life. If He does, rest assured. He will be right with you as you

face those fears.

Pastor Marty