Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts: and see if there is any wicked way in me...
Psalm 139:23-24
Maybe it's because of the trials I am undergoing at this time…
my thoughts: and see if there is any wicked way in me...
Psalm 139:23-24
Maybe it's because of the trials I am undergoing at this time…
I've been doing a lot of soul-searching of late. Perhaps the stirring up of painful emotions has caused my heart to open wide to allow for self-examination at levels that I would not be experiencing had things been status quo.
But for now, my heart is open to the eyes of the Lord. And when it comes to my heavenly Father, He definitely knows how to search out the things that are harmful. Then from there He will expertly remove them, even if it causes me to experience some pain in the process.
This is certainly true when someone undergoes surgery. There is cutting with scalpels to open one's flesh, and other surgical instruments that pinch and pull. And with this also comes the loss of the patient's blood, followed by the discomfort caused by the surgery itself, such as having to get one's wounds stitched up. But this is necessary so that the process of healing can begin.
Thus, when it comes to the healing of one's soul, I don't think it's all that much different. While it does not involve the cutting and ripping of flesh, there is the removing of those invisible things that bring harm to that individual.
While a man's spirit needs to be strong, I think his soul needs to be soft. A soft soul is pliable, so the hands of the Lord can mold and shape it. It's easier to clean and repair as well.
King David is a good example of a man who wanted to have his soul in tune with God's heart. As a chosen vessel called by the Lord, David would stumble at times along the way. A murderer and an adulterer, and a liar, David spent many years anguishing over his sins and the pain and misery those misdeeds caused him to experience.
The pain was not his alone to bear, however. His family and his nation suffered too. Our sins can also make others sick. While there are many examples of this, the one which first comes to mind is the deaths of seventy thousand innocent men because of King David's willful disobedience when he, now as an old man, numbered the people. This was something a prophet of the Lord told him not to do. The result? Many a family was left fatherless while David's heart groaned in grief.*
Yet for me, God is working from within. He is searching the depths of my soul as He surgically removes all that is bad. But in the end, when He is done, I will come out a better person.
D.B.
*Second Samuel chapter 24 and First Chronicles chapter 21 in the Old Testament tell the story of King David's foolish and sinful actions of numbering all the available fighting men of Israel. Although he repented for his sin, the damage was already done. And even though David had been walking with the Lord for many years, he was not perfect. But his heart always remained knit to the heart of his God.
But for now, my heart is open to the eyes of the Lord. And when it comes to my heavenly Father, He definitely knows how to search out the things that are harmful. Then from there He will expertly remove them, even if it causes me to experience some pain in the process.
This is certainly true when someone undergoes surgery. There is cutting with scalpels to open one's flesh, and other surgical instruments that pinch and pull. And with this also comes the loss of the patient's blood, followed by the discomfort caused by the surgery itself, such as having to get one's wounds stitched up. But this is necessary so that the process of healing can begin.
Thus, when it comes to the healing of one's soul, I don't think it's all that much different. While it does not involve the cutting and ripping of flesh, there is the removing of those invisible things that bring harm to that individual.
While a man's spirit needs to be strong, I think his soul needs to be soft. A soft soul is pliable, so the hands of the Lord can mold and shape it. It's easier to clean and repair as well.
King David is a good example of a man who wanted to have his soul in tune with God's heart. As a chosen vessel called by the Lord, David would stumble at times along the way. A murderer and an adulterer, and a liar, David spent many years anguishing over his sins and the pain and misery those misdeeds caused him to experience.
The pain was not his alone to bear, however. His family and his nation suffered too. Our sins can also make others sick. While there are many examples of this, the one which first comes to mind is the deaths of seventy thousand innocent men because of King David's willful disobedience when he, now as an old man, numbered the people. This was something a prophet of the Lord told him not to do. The result? Many a family was left fatherless while David's heart groaned in grief.*
Yet for me, God is working from within. He is searching the depths of my soul as He surgically removes all that is bad. But in the end, when He is done, I will come out a better person.
D.B.
*Second Samuel chapter 24 and First Chronicles chapter 21 in the Old Testament tell the story of King David's foolish and sinful actions of numbering all the available fighting men of Israel. Although he repented for his sin, the damage was already done. And even though David had been walking with the Lord for many years, he was not perfect. But his heart always remained knit to the heart of his God.
