Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
“Amen and Amen” has been the theme for the last few Sundays.
This series is a study from the Psalms, in which the psalmist gives voice to prayers that resound in our hearts today.
Today we are discussing, A Prayer for Divine Correction.
Prayer
Father, we come to You today because You made us, You redeemed us, and we acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from Your bountiful hands.
Thank You, Father, for the privilege of giving to You for the glory of Your name and cause.
The words of Jesus are so true, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Thank you for this heavenly blessing.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Text
Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV
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.
Scripture Reading
Psalm 139:1-12 NKJV
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV
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.
Introduction.
A devotional study of the Psalms can be particularly helpful in nourishing our faith and assisting us in our prayer life.
Psalm 139 emphasises that God has unlimited knowledge and also that God is always and everywhere present.
This great psalm celebrates the truth that God is our Creator.
It closes with a prayer against the wicked and a prayer for divine correction as the psalmist faced the present and the future.
- A prayer for divine probing.
The psalmist was positioning himself on the doctors examination table and asking Him to examine the motives of his heart and the thoughts of his mind.
He recognised that the source of actions and conduct is found in the thoughts and emotions of the inward man.
Perhaps David was motivated to pray this prayer for divine probing because he was being severely tested by his enemies.
He considered himself to be the enemy of those who were enemies of God.
Perhaps he was disturbed by some of his hostile thoughts toward those ungodly enemies of God who were also his enemies.
2. A prayer for divine directions.
The psalmist brought his mind and heart under the searchlight of God’s watchful eye, not merely so that he might be informed about himself, but that he might correct his way.
We read in the book of proverbs, “Every way of man is right in his own eyes.”
We also read , “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
God spoke through Isaiah and urged the wicked to forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
Isaiah 55:7, Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
God spoke further and said in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
A person may be quite sincere and yet be thinking the wrong kind of thoughts and walking in the wrong way.
The psalmist recognised this truth and urged God to reveal to him whether there was some wicked way within his heart.
The psalmist prayed, “Lead me in the way everlasting.”
He wanted to forsake any false paths that would lead to the wrong destination.
He wanted to be delivered from self deception.
He wanted to be saved from inaccurate thought processes and decision making.
He prayed that God would guide him into paths that would be pleasing to God and that would bring peace to his own heart and mind.
Conclusion.
How long has it been since you have had a thorough physical examination?
How long has it been since you have taken your temperature to see if you had an undetected infection in your body?
How long has it been since you looked into your mouth to see if you had a red spot in your throat?
These are some of the techniques that are used to detect the presence of infection or illness.
How long has it been since you brought yourself into God’s presence for a spiritual examination?
It might be a painful experience, but it could be highly profitable.
We would be exceedingly wise if day by day we would pray, Psalm 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.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at The Refinery.
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us at www.refinerylife.org
2024 IS A YEAR OF DECISIONS AND OPEN DOORS
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