Search Me O God....

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.—Ps 139:23-24

Psalm 139 is a Psalm of David.   For me, it brings to mind what the Lord said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16.  

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him."  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."—1 Samuel 16:6-7 

Maybe David even had those words in mind when he penned this Psalm.  I stand in awe along with the Psalmist at the depth of God’s knowledge and care for me.  He knows me inside and out...every detail...every thought.  Oh Father, who am I that You are mindful of me...that You take care of me??  I am thankful that there is nothing I can hide from You and nowhere I can go where You can’t find me.  That makes me feel so safe...hedged, as the Psalmist puts it.  

Strongs tells me that the primitive root of the word “hedged” means to cramp or confine.  Consequently, when I read this word, it brings to mind how I “hedged” my daughters when they were infants.  I would wrap them up tightly and securely in their receiving blankets and encompass them in my arms. Sometimes even that wasn’t enough to make them feel safe and stop their tears, but very often it seemed to be what they craved.  The more dependent I become on my Father in Heaven, the more I desire to be “hedged” about by Him.  

I hear this same desire to be dependent on and encompassed by God in David as I read through the two last verses of this Psalm. 

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

David wants God to continue His intimate, all knowing, everywhere present, and all powerful presence in his life.  He wants God to continue to read his heart and show him his sin.  David desires His divine guidance to direct him in the right way.  Praying that in my heart of hearts David’s desire is mine, also.  Oh Father, teach me Your statutes!  

Blessed [are] the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. 32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.—Psalm 119:1,32 

8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. 10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou [art] my God: thy spirit [is] good; lead me into the land of uprightness.—Psalm 143:8,10