As I mentioned a few blog entries ago, I have been doing some heavy thinking on Psalm 139 in the context of our Spiritual Formation that I am leading at church on Dallas Willard’s book, The Divine Conspiracy. He doesn’t actually deal with this psalm in the book, but I have taken some of what he is discussing in this book and looked at Psalm 139 again. What resulted was a very fresh and deeper reading of this Psalm than I have ever had before. I hope you enjoy.
Todd, I’m e-mailing you “Nothing is Beyond You” by Rich Mullins.
you can also find it on http://www.kidbrothers.net. It’s pretty low-qual… but it is on the CD too 🙂
matt, i just found the CD…i forgot i had it! thanks though!
Hi Todd,
Forgive me for busting in on your site. I found it while rooting around on The Rock site. Your meditations on Psalm 139 and that verse has meant a lot to me over the years. I have been freshly meditating on it over the past few weeks/months.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know (reveal/expose) my anxious thoughts. See if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
David’s cry to be searched, known, tried, exposed and led is perhaps the most courageous prayer I can think of. He is essentially asking God to conduct open heart surgery without the anesthetic, to root around in his heart, to open the locked closets, to explore the dusty corners of his spirit life from attic to basement; to look for and draw out “my anxious thoughts” — those thoughts, fears, attitudes, memories and regrets that bind us and prevent us from being wholly reliant and sold out for our Lord and Savior; to examine those that are “hurtful” (to whom — us, others, Him?) and to lead us to overcome them courageously and lead us to victory and fruitful labor.
This is a prayer every committed believer MUST pray, I believe, to fully experience God’s working in their life.
I particularly enjoyed your connecting this prayer to the previous verses. This prayer is the culmination of realizing how precious we are to God, how fearfully and wonderfully made we are. We, each of us individually, are immensely valuable to God. And the things that tend to bother me about myself are things put there by God. And my weaknesses have been purposely put there by God as the flipside of His powerfully working in my life. Therefore I cherish my weaknesses and long to rid myself of the anxieties of my life because they prevent me from fully trusting in and leaning on Him and seeing Him majestically work through me in spite of my fearfully and wonderfully made self.
Thank you very much Todd.
(speaking of run-on sentences…:) )
Hey,
thanks for visiting and posting. your thoughts are welcomed…and encouraged…and encouraging!
One of the things i have struggled with lately is finding time and MAKING time to actually do this…i let myself get too busy and crazy. i’ve gotta slow down sometimes and find some creative ways to do this more consistantly…i need some good Spirit driven, open heart surgery…
do you have your own blog site? are you from the Rock??