Psalm 139:23-24 ESV, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
LSB, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there be any hurtful way in me. And lead me in the everlasting way.”
NLT, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Would you dare to pray Psalm 139:23-24? I was recently challenged to do so in order to biblically understand idolatry and how it drifts us away from the gospel and the Savior that should be the center of our lives. Our idols effect the way that we live and can detract us away from glorifying God. I have been reading in the Old Testament and seeing how often the Israelites turned from God and worshipped other idols. It says in Judges 2:17b, 19b & 20a, “How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commands. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. So the LORD burned with anger against Israel.” We ask ourselves, how could they do this after all God had done for them? Yet don’t we do the same when we are tempted in our desires as we demand, “I want, and I will do whatever it takes to get it, no matter what, in order to be happy, fulfilled, etc.” Anything that becomes excessive and out-of-balance desire is an idol. “Remember that an idol is anything or anyone that begins to capture our hearts, minds, and affections more than God.” Brad Bigney, Gospel Treason. Betraying The Gospel With Hidden Idols, page 131. Praying Psalm 139:23-24 is an honorable challenge to pray and delve into.
We all need to weed out our “bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16-20), “Put-Off”- negative choices resulting from our idols and actions of temptations we have given into and needing to navigate to “Put Off” and “Put On”, mirroring Christ’s love in obedience to His commands.
PUT OFF – Galatians 5:19-20
- Hatred, bitterness, fears, anger, quarreling, jealousy, envy, moodiness, irritability, impatience, frustration, depression, and immoral behavior.
PUT ON – Galatians 5:22-23
- Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
In praying Psalm 139:23-24, the ESV says, “see if there be any grievous way in me.” The LSB says, “see if there be any hurtful way in me.” The NLT says, “point out anything in me that offends you.” These are valid questions to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal as we pray these verses, to grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord and to follow Him faithfully.
Each of these versions in the Bible depicts having stressful thoughts – “anxious thoughts.” The solution is to hand over to God anything that causes us to be “anxious,” as Philippians 4:6-7 teaches us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we focus on God, we find clarity and strength to overcome anxiety. Let’s face it, anxiety robs us of joy, and no matter what age one is, a teenager to those living in the “mature” ages of life, when we attempt to control what is God’s responsibility, it results in anxiety, frustration and disappointment. It requires focusing on affections that have taken our focus away from God – drifting away from the gospel, of any goals, motives, desires, cravings that we allow to become entrenched and to rule in Christ’s place.
So, think about what you desire to pursue and what you look to for fulfillment? What do you pray for? How do you define success or failure in a given situation? Remember, anything, even a good thing, can become an idol when it is excessive and out of balance when it becomes and defines my very identity and sense of worth, rather than who I am in Christ. It could be our spouse or boyfriend, our children, grandchildren, our career, material stuff, and even our own ministry.
Praying and meditating on Psalm 139:23-24, I challenge you, as I have been challenged, to pray these verses as your prayer. Then keep your focus on Jesus and the gospel, delight in Him and what He has done for you on the cross.
Listen to “Where Can I Go – Psalm 139” Ellie Holcomb.