Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24
As we communicate with the people around us, it becomes clear that there is a difference between hearing and listening. For example, a child can hear their parent talking, but if they do not respond to their parent’s question or obey an instruction, one could conclude that the child was not really listening. The same is true in our spiritual lives. We can hear important truths from God’s word, whether it's being taught or read, but until we respond to what we hear and read accordingly, we are not truly listening. If we want to love God with everything in us, with our heart and soul, we must truly listen to God.
David, who in Scripture is described as “a man after [God’s] own heart” in 1st Samuel 13:14, set an example of someone who was attentive to God speaking to him. In Psalm 139, he wrote, “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me” (verse 1). As we talked about during our Bible study earlier this week, David understood that the state of the human heart cannot be hidden from God. He already knows the state of every single person’s heart. As David continued writing in Psalm 139, he explained that God knows everything. God knew his every move, his every location, and even his thoughts before he even spoke a word (verses 2-4). There is no hiding from God, David revealed, and David understood that that is good news for us (verse 7). He ended this Psalm by inviting God to know Him and search Him. He wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (verses 23-24). After David’s invitation for God to search him, David was prepared to listen to God. He was prepared for God to reveal any sin or any commands to be obeyed and to follow God’s leading. He loved God with His heart and soul by taking time to be still and truly listen to what God might be saying to Him. The evidence of his listening would be his responses to what God revealed to him.
When was the last time you took a moment to be still and listen to God? There is so much noise surrounding us today. If we want to listen to God’s direction and guidance, we have to purposefully get away from the noise so that we can hear what He might be saying to us and obey Him. Will you choose to step away from the noise surrounding you and truly listen to God today?
Take a few moments to listen to God. Get quiet before Him. Ask Him to speak to you, point out any sin or reveal any commands He is calling you to obey, and help you as you set out to know Him and make Him known. As you listen, be ready to obey Him and respond to what He has to say to you.
“God, as I focus on You and You alone, lead me…”
Psalm 139:1-24
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! 20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. 21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? 22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.
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.
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