Psalm 139:23 – Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
News reports would have you believe that the world is spinning out of control, perhaps heading toward a climactic point in history. The pandemic caused by a tiny, little virus has neighbors turning on neighbors in grocery stores, while members of Congress look contentiously for bipartisan approaches to stimulate the national economy. As one Senator said of a recent bill, “Just hold your nose and vote!” No one is immune to social tension.
When he was king in Israel, David found himself in the middle of a confusing national situation. Internal strife was tearing at the fabric of his kingdom. People blamed the government, and the government, in turn, blamed the people. He wondered if his nation was on the brink of a civil war. He knew that if the tides continued to rise, his nation would collapse. Economic depression, moral disintegration, military defeat, he knew, followed a spiritual decline in Israel.
So he did what he often did when times were turbulent—he turned to God. The Spirit of God revealed to him that the spiritual tide of his nation would rise only as did his own heart. As the nation’s leader, he fell to his knees and prayed, “Search me, O God.”
In a sermon from 2010, Billy Graham said, “If only we today could realize that a nation can rise no higher, can be no stronger, and be no better than the individuals that compose that nation! If the world is bad, it is the people who are bad. If the world is confused, it is the people of the world who are confused. If this is a godless world, it is the people who are godless.” Know that truth today. Be wise. Invite God to search you. Do your part to live a life pleasing to Him. By one person at a time, things can turn around.
Pray With Us
Almighty God, our Creator and Sustainer, our world so desperately needs You. I humbly confess that my thoughts have not always been pure, and my heart has not always been turned toward You. We need a new life, and that life is in Your Son. Remind me again today, O God, that because I am in Christ, I am a new creation; that old things have passed away and everything has become new. Help me to be bold in proclaiming that message through the testimony of my life, as I put my full assurance in You. I praise Your glorious Name and that of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Amen.
