Search Me (Risky Prayers)

As I think about my prayer life / I wonder if sometimes God was bored with my prayers? Asking for traveling mercies and to keep us safe / I can imagine God saying / just drive the speed limit… wear your seat belt…you’ll be fine / Or God bless our food / I just knew God was thinking / You want me to Bless macaroni and cheese and a hot dog??

As I have studied Bible more / I have seen all kinds of very practical prayers / to conceive a child (1 Sam 1) / for food & provision (Matt 6) / escape from enemies (Ps 59) / Sometimes prayers seemed more like angry venting out of frustration / prayers for boldness / prayers for lions mouths to be shut / fleece to be dry one day / wet the next / very practical / honest / real

It’s possible to believe in prayer / but get stuck in a rut / then it happens / you realize your prayers have become flat / dull / predictable / safe

I want to challenge you over next few weeks to pray risky prayers / biggest mistake we can make is praying too safely / settling into a comfort zone / half hearted communication

Not that you aren’t saved / but a place where you are not on fire / not cold / just tepid

Safe / lukewarm prayers don’t draw us closer to God or help us reveal His love to the world

Prayers are inherently dangerous / look at first one today

Psalm 139:23–24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I. What Prayer Is and Isn’t

One of my funniest stories on prayer / is a story I heard of a friend being in a hospital room visiting his grandma / when a chaplain came to the door / asked his grandma if she would like prayer / she said why not / the chaplain then asked what is your denominational preference? / She replied just a regular Christian I guess

He insisted on a more direct answer as he said / it would help him find the right prayer / She replied Methodist I guess / he thumbed through a little book / found right page / began reading a prayer

Not sure what he was reading / but it didn’t sound much like a prayer / thats when she yelled out / will someone find me a chaplain who can pray his own prayers? Laughter broke out / even from in the hallway

A. PRAYER FROM THE HEART IS PERSONAL / UNMISTAKEABLE

1. Nothing wrong when learning how to pray / listen to others / pray through the Psalms

We all know the person who prays scripture / the one who Makes you feel inadequate… For your word declares!!! We are the head and not the tail!!

a. Over time if you want intimacy with God / you will have to pray more / unscripted prayers / prayers that come straight from the heart

When reading Psalms / you can see honest cries from heart of David

He petitioned God from depths of his soul / How long Lord?

Will you hide your face from me? Wrestle with my thoughts with sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

2. Many people aren’t comfortable praying openly / freely

a. Think there is a more eloquent way / we stumble into ruts / pray same thing over / over / over

We get bored with even our own prayers / know if we are bored with them / God must be too

B. PRAYER IS SACRED COMMUNICATION

1. I think we fail to realize The God of the universe / hears our prayers / CARES!

a. He cares about all the things you carry in your heart / no ones else knows about

Your prayers matter/ how you pray matters / what you pray matters / your prayers move God

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

a. What areas do you need God’s grace? In relationships with other people?

b. Do you need mercy for all the secret things you struggle with?

c. Do you need help through you days?

I know I do / in big ways / every day / in every way ........ so do you

2. Which is point of risky prayers / let me warn you / they are not safe / tepid / prayer that will push you out of your comfort zone

a. To stretch you / help you grow righteously uncomfortable

Requires a deep look within / stop pretending about areas of your life

Be honest with yourself before the One who knows you better than you know yourself

There are prayers that change eternity / shake hell / scare demons / Sound extreme?

II. Let’s Begin with… THE STATE OF MY HEART

A. FIRST PRAYER OF DAVID

1. David is going up against enemies left & right / Saul accuses him of treason / sends forces to kill David to remove threat

a. Saul hit him where it hurt / claimed David was faithful to his God

We know David wanted to please God / he never laid a hand on king

Knowing his motives were not always perfect / he prayed one of the most vulnerable / transparent / dangerous prayers you’ll ever hear

Psalm 139:23–24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2. Difficult words to say / even more difficult to live out what God shows you in reply

a. This prayer how power to convict you / correct you / direct your life / change way you see yourself

We want to excuse ourselves / we say God already knows my heart / besides my motives are pure / I have good heart

Jeremiah / prophet during reign of Josiah / raised up / says to take WOG to Isreal

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

3. At core of heart we are all about self / no Christ / We are more about things temporary / not eternal

a. Our ways are not God’s ways / you don’t have to teach children how to lie / be selfish / it’s in there

It’s why we need Christ / not for just forgiveness / but to transform us / redirect us / make us new

Did you know / research shows / we tell multiple lies every day / when we don’t want to hurt someones feelings / or when we want to look good so we embellish or exaggerate / But most common lies are ones we tell ourselves

You tell yourself / I won’t eat much I promise just a couple bites / then before you know it the bad is empty / tray of cookies is gone / We rationalize / tell ourselves we don’t drink that much / we think of the things we’d be ashamed of it anyone knew / but continue anyways / we tell ourselves I am not materialistic I just like nice things / I am not a gossip / I just tell everyone so they can “pray” / I don’t have a problem its just how I cope

b. I bet David was temped to cope

He could of turned to wine / become resentful / butter / or justified harming Saul in self preservation

Instead he prayed Search my Heart

B. HARD CHOICES

1. If we truly open ourselves up / pray this prayer / we will see sinfulness of our condition

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

a. Instead of just asking God FOR things / ask Him to reveal things IN me

This will be beginning of a journey of knowing God personally

It will reveal our lies / stealing / doing what WE want no matter who it hurt

Things that one time felt normal / will now feel wrong / it will reveal our spiritual need

b. It’s a dangerous prayer / one that can redirect your life / “Search me God!”

C. REVEALING MY FEARS

Psalm 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

1. What makes you anxious? Nervous? Unsettled?

a. Not talking about external fears of snakes / airplanes / spiders

I am talking about things keep you up at night / thoughts that ricochet through mind

Thoughts of losing your job / not getting married / being stuck in bad marriage / failing heath

2. We don’t know exactly what fear David is facing / but we know he is troubled about safety / future

a. He says / Know my anxious thoughts

He wanted to share his worst fears with God / face them / give them a name

He wanted to trust God was bigger than any fear he could dream up

Are you willing to pray such a prayer?

Lord reveal what holds my mind hostage… show me what I fear most… help me face what terrifies me

3. Ever wonder why our anxious thoughts matter to God?

a. What we fear matters / I had a revelation (Pause) What we fear the most… is where we trust God the least!

If you fear future of your marriage / its an indication you don’t trust God with your marriage

If you are overwhelmed with worry about bills / reveals you don’t really trust God as your provider

If you are paralyzed with fear over your children / could it be / you don’t trust God to keep them safe?

1. Praying this prayer reveals not only fears / but thoughts that are fueling them

We all battle with this / just recently one of our children had health scare / easy to tell others not to worry / but what about when it’s your own kid? Hard for your mind to not race wrong direction!

b. Our fears matter / show where we are relying on own efforts / Can I help you today.....

Truth is / we are all inadequate / we’re never enough / we’re always weak / but here’s the incredible thing

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

C. PLEASING GOD

1. To do this / we cannot be driven by fear / but by faith

a. The pathway to your greatest potential is often straight through your greatest fear!

Faith propels you forward

What God wants most for you / might just be on other side of what you fear most

Paul reminded Timothy

2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2. Devil is a liar / he always lies

a. If you are afraid of failing / it’s the enemy trying to keep you from doing what God wants you to do

So pray / step into your fear / Let God propel you forward by Faith

Without faith it’s impossible to please God

Pleasing God is always better than fear of failing

3. As you pray this prayer / see what keeps you from fully following / don’t miss God’s love

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear...

a. As God reveals your fears / he will build your faith

You need God / His presence / His power / You need HS guiding you

Faith doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid / simply means you won’t let fear stop you!

D. Uncovering My Sins

If David’s prayer hasn’t seemed dangerous enough already / I do want to warn you / it gets a little more intense / but it’s in this part that really matters

A. DAVID WAS CALLED “A man after God’s own Heart”

1. We know he worshipped passionately (even in the streets) / He led courageously / yet he still make mistakes

a. Like you & me / he was tempted/ didn’t always make right choices / which is why he prayed

Search me God… know my anxious thoughts… see if there is any offensive way in me.

1. Show me if I am doing something that hurts your heart

2. This is hard / we are masters a rationalizing our wrong actions

a. We are good at accusing others / BUT VERY good at excusing ourselves

B. There are things to consider when we search God’s heart

1. First / consider what others have told you / about you

a. Are there area of your life others have pointed out / might need a change?

b. Is there an area of your life that is challenged by others?

c. Have loves ones expressed concern for you / or ask you to consider getting help?

Something I learned some years ago / principle to live by / if two or more people you love & trust / suggest you have a problem / you should recognize you have a problem and deal with it immediately.

As you ask God to show you things / start with what others have mentioned to you already

Maybe someone has said you play video games too much / problem with pain medication /

Maybe a bad run at dating / friends tell you / you always say yes to wrong person (stop defending self / change pattern)

Some it’s a phone addiction / you’ve heard more than one / say you are never “here”

Pray / God Show Me / See if there is an offensive way in me

2. SECONDLY CONSIDER WHAT YOU HAVE RATIONALIZED

a. Warning signals ignored

Read of a pastor who was preaching / railing against bad drivers (no not ours) / Lives in big city / hates when traffic is at a standstill / when someone drives down the should / That same pastor admitted / same week / he was in one of those jams / he was close to the church / shoulder in that area was the churches land / so he rationalized / started driving on the shoulder / Little did he notice / he drove right past a person from their church / Dad of that car later told the pastor / as you were passing us My son said “Look dad, There is one of those drivers pastor hates!

What have you rationalized? No big deal / I can handle it / it’s not hurting anyone / its my life / who are you to judge me? / I am fine / you mind your business I will mind mine

Rationalize our temper / not my fault you make me so mad

Gossiping / I can’t help people tell me things

Gambling / it’s just for fun / I can stop any time

Selfishness (I deserve good things)

b. David rationalized why he stayed home from battle / rationalized as he took Bathsheba into his house

3. In my life / I have learned when I am defensive / it’s an indicator / God is wanting to show me something

a. The more I am convinced I am right about something / more likely I am wrong

III. Lead Me!

A. Takes courage to ask / Search me / takes more courage to obey

1. We need to know our impurities / we need to know our fearful anxious thoughts / even when we are offensive

a. All that should be / so God can lead us / direct us / guide us to be everything He wants us to be

Psalm 139:23–24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2. It’s when I put all these portions of this one prayer together / if often becomes clear

a. We may not be where God wants us to be / but that can change / he can lead us to way everlasting

We need to live to please God / not people around us

Who cares what the world thinks of you / only One that matters / is what God thinks

Let your fears drive you to God / fear of God is really only cure for fear of people

If you struggle with pride / humble yourself so God will lift you up

If hiding secret sin / confess it / find forgiveness /

3. Ask God to show you the truth about YOU / because the truth will set you free

a. When you are ready / hungry for more / then look no further than deep waters of communication with God

1. Open your heart to healing from a divine God

2. Seek His unfailing / unconditional / unquenchable love

a. Have the courage to prayer this risky / dangerous prayer

b. Don’t just pray it / Respond to what He shows you

c. Step through your greatest fear / into faith

d. Embrace your deepest need / let is drive you / to depend on Christ

Are you ready???? Then it all begins with SEARCH ME LORD