"An Uncomfortable Prayer"

Intro: You ever prayed an uncomfortable prayer? (Leah and I before coming here & before we committed to dating) 

Today we are going to look at an extremely uncomfortable prayer that was prayed in Psalm 139. Specifically, will be looking in Psalm 139:23-24.

I want to go ahead and encourage you to open your bibles and get to that passage, or your phone, or whatever it is that you are going to use today.  

These last couple of verses that we are going to read through in Psalm 139 are powerful and known by many of us as we read through them.   

David prayed them because he did not anything in the way of his relationship with God. I want to make sure you understand that as we move forward.   

What David prayed was quite dangerous and uncomfortable. So, before we get to far into what the passage was about, let’s take a moment to read it.  

Psalm 139:23–24    

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Now I know that this is just a couple of verses, and these verses are quoted often in songs, but the beauty of them can easily make us look past the shear danger and boldness of the prayer  

You see, the problem with this prayer is that David recognizes that there might be evil in him and the danger comes in that he knows that God will highly likely answer this prayer.   

David knows he is sinful and prone to sin and so this plea to God is for Him to lead him to righteousness. This a big deal when you consider this is what he really wanted.  

It did not matter how much he steered clear of evil people or evil things, David knew he was filled and marred with sin himself.   

His avoidance of evil people/things was not because he thought he was above or better than those things. It was centered in knowing his own mess and susceptibility to it. Illus: 5 years before I worked with addicts.  

As we dissect and digest this prayer together, we will find it is divided in four parts that applies to all of us who are willing to listen in.   

Just as David made application to himself, we too should consider praying this uncomfortable prayer and make application ourselves. The first part that David prayed was this ...  

1. Search my heart  

David did not hesitate or squeamishly try to push past this. Now I want to make this correlation quickly if I can.   

The beginning of this psalm has David declaring that God knows all things, and now in humbleness, He is asking God to reveal these things to him.  

David gets it. He wants to use the knowledge of God to lead him the right direction. So why is this dangerous to pray? It is like inviting God to do heart surgery, a painful exposure, but needed.  

The heart is tricky. This is what scripture says about it. Read: Jeremiah 17:9

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Look, all of us are wicked, and our hearts deceive us to believe otherwise. That is why it took the blood of Christ to redeem us from this wickedness. He is the only one who sets our hearts straight.  

Jeremiah said, “Look, the heart is deceitful, and really in the end you just deceive yourself to the point that you don’t even know how bad you are.”   

Just think of all the ways we deceive ourselves in and out of every day of our lives.  

“I don’t drink that much. I don’t overeat. I’m not full of pride. I don’t lust. I don’t need material things. I love all people. I don’t gossip. I am not judgmental. I am all in with God!”   

Maybe you don’t see this, but when we ask God to search our heart, we are asking Him to help us see through our own lies and deceit and it can hurt.  

You might say, “I don’t drink too much”, but you struggle drawing a line on when to stop. 

You might say, “I love all people”, but the hateful thoughts, conversations, or jokes about certain people, gender, or races continue to plague you.  

You might say, “I’m all in with God”, but refuse to turn over certain areas of your life to Him because you think it’s just a little situation that you can handle so you try to just bury it.  

That is why David invited God to search his heart. He knew his heart would lie to him and allow him to stay divided with God in certain areas of life. God will show us things that are not pure.   

God does not do this to be cruel, but to bring us closer to Him, and in this intimacy, and to transform us more and more into the image of Christ.   

This is uncomfortable yes, but it draws you more into His grace. Secondly, David prayed ...  

2. Know my thoughts  

I love the way the NLT renders verse 23, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. NLT (Psalm 139:23)  

Have you ever sat and really thought about what makes you anxious? Now I am sure there are things that bring natural fear for you like for me and my family. Illus: Heights, Bugs, Elevators, Bridges 

Those are fears for us, and while they make us anxious, they are not what David is talking about here when he says, “Know my anxious thoughts.”   

He’s not talking about snakes, spiders, flying, or things like that. No, this is more centered around what stirs inside us, the place where the enemy speaks lie after lie.   

Afraid of losing your job? Afraid of not getting married? Afraid of not having kids?  Afraid of being stuck in the marriage that you're in and it not getting any better?   

Afraid of the future, like is this what the rest of my life looks like? Fear of the unknown? Afraid of failing people? Afraid of expectations that people might be placing on you. Afraid of death?  

David knew what made him most anxious is what he trusted God the least in. If we are all honest with ourselves, we are the same, right?  

I fear, my friends. I do, not proud of it, but I do. I tell my kids that fear is not from God, but as I prayed this prayer, I found areas of fear that I am not proud of.   

I fear failing as a pastor, husband, and father all the time. I carry this fear more that I should. I know this is the enemy reminding me of all the times that I have failed in those areas, and so I cling to his words.  

When left to my own thoughts the enemy works overtime. When we ask God to reveal those things in us be prepared for Him to do so.  

Ask God to reveal your anxious thoughts. What I learned is that God wants me to love pleasing Him more than fear failing at being a pastor, father, or husband.   

Those things will fall in line when we are most connected to Him. I challenge you to ask God to reveal those thoughts and anxieties that you may not see. See what He reveals.   

Third we find David prayed ...  

3. Reveal my sin  

We often confess when we are caught, but to flat out ask God to show us is bold. David said, (Psalm 139:24a) “24a And see if there be any grievous way in me...”  

His prayer is simple and yet intense. “Show me anything that is displeasing to you God. Anything that I am inconsistent in my life according to your truth, show me.”    

David prayed this because he knew himself to not be honest with himself. How many of us come to a time of confession to God bringing half-hearted confessions?   

It, kind of goes back to my first part of the prayer, “Search me…”. When we ask God to search our heart, and then ask Him to reveal it, be ready because He will.  

This prayer can change your life though. It really can. This gives God permission to point out that sin dwelling in you. How do you know what He reveals?  

Here are three questions that you can ask to help you see what He is trying to reveal. What do your people who love you tell you, meaning things they have warned you a lot about?   

Two, is there anything that you rationalize even though I know it’s wrong? “I mean, I’m not really hurting anyone with this right?”   

Three, where are you most defensive? If you auto-response is to direct traffic the other way, this might be an issue that He is trying to point to.  

Look this is not a fun part of the prayer that David is praying, but if you are bold enough to pray it, I promise you that God will bring some stuff out. Get it off your chest and confess it.   

The grace and mercy of God covers our sin. Lean into this thought today. Don’t let the enemy keep you in the pit. Don’t forget grace. Lastly, David prayed ...  

4. Lead me  

When you allow God to search your heart, reveal your thoughts and sins, then you should come to a place where you simply ask Him to lead you. Psalm 139:24b “... lead me in the way everlasting!”  

When you live this part of the prayer that David prayed, you walk, talk, and look more like Jesus. This part of the prayer brings you to a place that allows the HS to work in your life.   

This is the key to have any success because it points to and directs us to our need for Jesus. If we genuinely want to understand our freedom, then we need to allow God to lead our direction.  

This allows you to be free from performing for others and drives you to finding your identity in Him alone. It should humble, comfort, and encourage constancy in your soul.  

That is my prayer for myself right now. I continue to call out to Him saying, “Help me to live for an audience of one. Help me to keep my security in You Jesus.”  

Paul really rounds out this message today in (2 Corinthians 10:5) when he said, 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…  

When we fully embrace this, then there will be a true and full willingness to put away anything which is grievous to God and to His Spirit and to be led in the way everlasting.