A thought by Craig Groeschel, from his book, Dangerous Prayers, Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
That is a great thought and it is so true!
Craig says, “We’re told in the Bible that we can ‘come boldly to the throne of our gracious God’ (Heb. 4:16a NLT). We don’t have to approach timidly or feel awkward—we can come before him with confidence, assurance, and boldness. When we pray this way, then ‘we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most’ (Heb. 4:16b NLT).”
Later Craig says, “In the Old Testament we see David squaring off against God’s enemies left and right. In a raging fit of jealousy, King Saul falsely accused David of treason and attempting to assassinate the king. . . And he knew how to hit where it hurts—he claimed David wasn’t faithful to his God.
“With all his heart, David wanted to please God. He fought against his anger in order to protect and show honor to the king. Yet knowing that his motives weren’t always perfect, David surrendered his heart before God and prayed one of the most vulnerable, transparent, and dangerous prayers you’ll ever hear. Wanting to honor God in every aspect of his being, David prayed, ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting’ (Ps. 139:23–24).”
Craig goes on, “Not only is this prayer difficult to pray, but it’s even more challenging to apply and live out. Because if you have the courage to pray it, then you’ll need to exercise the courage to live what God shows you in reply. So don’t pray it if you don’t mean it.”
He then says, “It’s easy to pretend we are good at heart, but the Bible teaches us that our heart deceives us and is desperately wicked. At its core, our heart is all about self—not Christ. It’s about what’s temporary—not eternal. It’s about what’s easy—not what’s right. It’s obsessed with what we want—not what God wants.”
He continues, “I bet David was tempted to cope when he was running for his life from Saul. He could have used alcohol to escape. He could have turned angry, resentful, and bitter. Or David could have plotted to harm King Saul, justifying his actions in the name of self-preservation. But instead of taking the easy path, David chose a more daring one. The ‘man after [God’s] own heart’ (1 Sam. 13:14) decided to pray, knowing that his own heart was capable of tricking him again and again.”
Craig then says, “Without Christ, your heart is deceitful. That’s why this prayer of David’s is crazy dangerous. ‘Search my heart, Lord.’“
But it will really make a difference. Will you pray it?
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