Search Me, Try Me and Lead Me

Psalms 139:23-24
 Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
Try me, and know my anxieties; 
 And see if there is any wicked way in me, 
And lead me in the way everlasting. 
  Psalms 139 is a powerful chapter. It is an overwhelming description of how personally God knows us. He is always with us. He created us in every detail. He always thinks of us. He truly loves us with an everlasting love . There are three things in verses 23 and 24 that call special attention to our walk with the Lord. The psalmist cries out to the Lord, "Search me, Try me and Lead me." This is a prayer of complete surrender. It is to give up and give in to our God and Creator Who loves us! It is to say in reply to His knowledge of us and love for us,"Yes Lord, I get the picture, I belong to You." Search me and know my heart. God already knows us through and through, the psalmist has already made reference to that in vs 1. This is a surrender of self will. It is as if he is saying, Here Lord Jesus this heart belongs to You, You know my heart better than I do. I no longer want control. This is where knowledge turns into a relationship. This is where it all begins. God doesn't need your skill, talent or ability. God is looking for a willing, surrendered heart. He wants to place His skill, His talent and His ability in your willing, surrendered heart. Wow, what God can do with a willing heart! Next the psalmist takes this surrender to a level that is most likely the hardest level of surrender in our walk with Jesus. "Try me" as if to say,"If it takes a trial or many trials to make me more like you, then I am ready to face those trials. God has a goal for our lives on earth. He is making us more and more like Himself,(Romans 8:28-29). The psalmist prayed that God would try him and know his anxieties; and his sin. It is a cry out to be purified by whatever means necessary. This is not an easy part of the surrender, but it must happen in order to experience God and become more like Him. If we will  just grasp the ultimate reason behind our trials our perspective will change. Every time I have the privilege of counseling some one who is going through trials I always say,"Seek God,"(Matthew 6:33). Don't ask,"why," ask,"what!" What are You showing me about myself and about You God. Upon asking that Question we need to be ready for His answer. His answer will show us our anxiety and our sin. Once these are recognized by our own surrendered heart, Our Father God, along with our complete surrender of this anxiety and sin, will remove them. It is through this process that we become more like Him. The final part of this magnificent prayer of the psalmist is for God to lead him in the way everlasting. There is no other place our God will lead us! He will not lead us into the temporary. He will not lead us into low living. God will not lead us into anything other than His Glory, Majesty and Power! Therefore, if we cry out for God to lead us, then we had better be prepared to follow. We had better be prepared to go places that we have never been and do things we thought before to be impossible. The way of everlasting is not the way of the world. It is not the way of limited vision or accomplishment. Every thing accomplished in the way of everlasting, is done so for the way of the everlasting.  Brothers and Sisters may we pray for our Father God to Search us , Try us and lead us because the way of everlasting is the "only way" for us!