Earlier this week one of the passages I read was Psalms 139:23-24 which offers this prayer “Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart’ Test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.

I can recall the first time I ever heard this Psalm; I was intimidated, and I was fearful.  I mean think about that, inviting God in to examine your heart and your thoughts, that is huge, right?   But as I thought about, and prayed about it and frankly matured some, it this means much more than that.  It is admitting how much we need God; that we need the Father’s presence so desperately.  What we are doing is calling on God to come into our heart and our mind and our life to examine us and then to lead us.  When we offer this prayer, we are asking God to reconcile with us, to bring us close to Him and His ways, to God’s eternal ways.  To a life that is ruled by God’s faithful love and a life that fills us with hope and offer us peace.

Know that Gods love, the hope and peace that God brings into our lives does not start at the tip of our extended finger.  Peace begins with each of us and with this prayer.  O God come search me, examine me, and lead me out of the ways of this word and into your eternal ways, your ways of love, of grace and of peace.  When we begin to truly experience this life it is like filling a cup to overflowing slowly the water isn’t just contain within the cup, it moves beyond, it covers all that surrounds it.

Similarly, when we know God’s love, through the Son, Jesus Christ, the walls of our heart are broken down and that love, that grace and that peace fills us to overflowing, we begin to cover those who are near to us, those who surround us, but it all starts with you.

I encourage you to read the 139^th Psalm and pray over it, pray this prayer; Search me O God and know my heart, test me, and know my thoughts, and lead me in Your everlasting way, and asP you know that He is our peace.

“If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I do not have love, I am a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal.”  1 Corinthians 13:1

As I read this scripture, I can’t help but have a smile come to my face envisioning a 3- or 4-year-old who has drug out pots, pans and pie tins to clang and bang them together.  There is no rhyme or rhythm to it.  Rather, it is the child expressing themselves, focusing on what will make them feel good, what will make them happy.

Sometimes as adults, we do the exact same thing but with what we say and what we type out.  Don’t believe me, go back over your conversations, the things that you have said or typed out and ask yourself if it was done in love.  Was I encouraging, was accepting, were the words I used helpful and did those words offer an example of God’s presence in my life, or did I drag out some pots and pans and make myself happy?

It can be difficult; it is a regular struggle for me.  I cannot tell you how many times I drag out the pots and pans, look around and realize what I am about to do or sadly what I have already done.  I think back to three simply rules offered by John Wesley, found of the Methodist movement.  Those rules, do no harm, do good and remain in love with God, I am slowly learning to take a breath and reflect on Wesley’s rules.  In doing so, I find that I am a clanging gong or a crashing cymbal a little less often.

I would encourage you, to go back over your communication, if for no other reason but to see what has you dragging out your pots and pans.  Knowing the reasons helps you to identify those moments when you may need to take a breath, reflect on the rules, or ask yourself am I about to be a noisy cymbal.  In doing so, you will find not only peace in your heart but also peace in your life.

Prayer: “Lord God I am thankful for today!  Help me to be less like a ganging gong and more like a reflection of Jesus in my life.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock.”  Matthew 7:24

There I was on the banks of the river, it was late afternoon on a warm spring day, and the trout were biting.  I found a spot that most would not try to get to because the pebble and rock covered bank was steep.  Suddenly, the pebbles and rocks began to shift, throwing me off balance and shoulder first into the 50-degree water.  It’s fine, go ahead, laugh.  I did and so did my best friend as he told me I would have to ride back to the hotel in the BACK of his truck.

Looking back, “I ask myself where this wisdom was?”  But Jesus isn’t talking about fishing, where or how to stand on a riverbank, but how we can live life.  Through out God’s holy word, we can find life lessons, knowledge that when applied to our lives become wisdom and soon, we find our lives built on a sure foundation. 

There is an old hymn that tells us

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

When we build our lives on God’s word, lean on Jesus’ name we do not stand on loose pebbles finding ourselves thrown into a river cold and wet, rather we find a life footing solid and secure. Prayer: “Loving God, thank you for today and thank you for the security which your word brings to our lives.  Hold us firmly

The author of this psalm, David, had some struggles in his life.   One could say he made some awfully bad choices in his life.  At minimum, he was human.  Human mind, human heart, human choices, and desires but, as he grew older and wiser David understood the importance of God’s presence in his life.  This is evident in these words

I keep your word close, in my heart, so that I won’t sin against you.  Psalm 119:11

What is interesting about the verse is that heart is more than just the thing that pumps your blood. In Hebrew, the word that translates into heart means more, it is the place that you feel feelings, the place where you think thoughts.  It really refers to the core of who you are, your will, your desires, your intentions.

You see when David writes this, that he has hidden God’s word in his heart, he is saying he is making God’s desire central in his life, that God’s word will be a part of all aspects of his life.  His motives, his desires, his decisions, his feelings.  David is placing God’s word into every part of who he is.  Making God’s desires the priority in his life

By doing this, by filling every nook and cranny of who he is with God’s word, his heart is changed, his life transformed.  I would encourage us all to find a way to do just that, to fill not just our feelings with God’s word but our will, our desires, our choices, our very being with God’s word, that we too might experience a change in our lives. 

Take time to memorize scripture verses each day or every week.  Consider meditating on a scripture verse each day, breathe it into your deepest parts that it may dwell with in you. And there are some who will pray over scripture each day.  Ask God to have it settle into your heart just where it needs to be.  In doing so, we can begin to see a change in our life and in the lives around us.

Prayer: “You are a true and faithful God, even when we might make a horrible choice, you are there, to love us and to guide us.  Let the wisdom and love of your Holy Word fill our very being that we might live as you have asked us to live.  Hold us firmly and guide us gently in your will and in your ways.  Amen”

“Finally let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need it.”  Hebrews 4:16

I wonder as a child; did you ever do anything you were not supposed to do.  I mean, was there a time that your mom, or your dad, or someone who cared about you told you, “Don’t do…” because they wanted to keep you from being hurt?

I would have been about 12, we’d just moved back into our house, t had been destroyed by a tornado.  Soon after we got back in, lumber and nails were delivered so that the garage out back could also be rebuilt.  Dad told me, “Rob, I don’t want you messing with the lumber or those nails.”  My response, “Yes Dad” but in my mind it was wait, boards, nails.  His words had no more faded off and I had grabbed a hammer and went out back.  I got that nail lined up and the hammer raised above my head.  I swung as hard as I could, trying to drive that 16-penny nail all the way into the board with one blow.

Breaking news alert, it didn’t work that way, rather the head of the hammer came crashing down onto my thumb nail.  At that very moment, I let out a wail like I was a firetruck head to rescue a baby.  The hammer went flying and I went running, right to dad. 

His words were calming, merciful, loving and kind.  He double checked everything and then went and got an ice bag and helped me hold it there for a couple of minutes while pulling me closely to comfort me.  In that moment, he didn’t lecture me, punish me rather I knew, love, mercy, and grace.

Just as my father pulled me closely and cared for me in that moment, even though I’d done what he had told me not too, our heavenly Father, calls us in closely to where he is seated, holding us closely, offering us mercy and grace and love, even when we have turned away from Him or done what he has told us not to do.

So, no matter what may be troubling you today, what might be causing you pain, even it it’s because you picked hammer and…bring it to Jesus today.  Move closer and rest in God’s loving mercy and grace.

Prayer: “Lord, thank you that that I can come to you, no matter what.   I come now to let your mercy and your grace flow over me in this moment.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in your will and in your ways.