Dangerous Prayers: Search Me! Series

Dangerous Prayers: Search Me

Psalm 139:23-24

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

01-03-2021

How’s Your Prayer Life?

Let me start with a question that might make you feel uncomfortable…

How’s your prayer life?

For some of us that question makes us squirm in our seats.

If prayer is simply talking to our Heavenly Father, then why do we have such a hard time praying?

And when we do pray, why do we pray such safe prayers like “Lord, bless me” or “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food.?”

I remember reading about the giants of the faith like Martin Luther who said,

“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

Three hours? I sometimes have trouble praying for three minutes! Squirrel!

Maxine’s mother used to host all night prayer meetings!

As we end 2020 and begin a brand new year, I thought that this sermon series, “Dangerous Prayers” would be good for all of us.

Last week, we looked at the dangerous prayer from Isaiah 6 - “Here am I. Send me!”

If you didn’t see that service, I would encourage you make sure to watch, especially for the interview at the end with our missionaries in Mexico, Dan and Christi Ucherek!

This morning, we are going to look at another dangerous prayer that, when prayed from a sincere heart, has the ability to change you from the inside out!

Again, let me remind you that the idea from this sermon series comes from Craig Groeschel’s book “Dangerous Prayers.”

Turn with me to Psalm 139.

Prayer.

The Text within Its Context

Psalm 139 has been called the “crown of all Psalms.” We know it was written by David but we don’t know when or what caused him to write it.

It’s a beautiful, poetic song of four stanzas of six verses each.

We will be concentrating on the last two verses:

“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.” (Psalm 139: 23-24)

Honestly, this is a terrifying, dangerous prayer.

Most of us don’t want anyone snooping around in our private life.

But David lays his life bare before the Lord and prays four things:

Search my heart

Reveal my fears

Uncover my sins

Lead me home to You

Why did David feel safe praying that prayer? Because he was praying to a God that he knew, loved, and trusted. And, more importantly, this God knew David intimately and completely.

Praying to a God that Knows Me!

In Psalm 139, David focuses on three of God’s attributes.

Omniscience V. 1-6

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me too lofty for me to attain.” (Psalm 139:1-6)

These verses spotlight the attribute of omniscience. This is simply a theology word that means God knows everything.

Verse one - He knows everything about me.

Verses two a - He know’s everything I do

Verse two b - He knows everything I think.

Verse three - He knows everywhere I go.

Verse four - He knows everything I say

Verse five - He knows everything I need

This understanding that God knows everything about David, leads him to awe and adoration.

It’s convicting to know that God knows everything about us but it’s also encouraging because Her know everything about us and still loves us!

Omnipresence V-7-12

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me And the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you;  the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

David begins by asking two rhetorical questions. Is there anywhere in the universe that I can hide from you? And the answer is a resounding no!

David actually uses the compass headings.

Heaven - north. Grave - south. The dawn - the east. Far side of the sea (Mediterranean Sea) - west.

David know that God will lead him and protect him, especially in the dark times because God can see in the dark!