Ain’t no deceit in my heart! Day 16

Please read psalm 139:23-24 and Luke 18: 9-14.

In the first twenty-two verses of Psalm 139, David (1) praises our omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God and (2) asks God to take care of his/God’s enemies- pleading, “slay the wicked, O God” (v. 19).  Coming to today’s text, we read a prayer by David where he neither rejoices in the (future) destruction of his enemies, nor thanks God that he is unlike them. His prayer - ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! ²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” - is a marked contrast to the imprecating words that precede it.

Why would David, whom God called ‘ a man after my own heart’, ask God to search his heart? David knows and remembers the prior occasion when he was blind his own sin. In 2 Samuel 12:1-6, we read of David’s reaction and anger towards the rich man in Nathan’s story. Only after Nathan tells him, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7), does David recognize the sin he committed against Bathsheba, Uriah and God. The prayer in Psalm 139 comes from a man who previously had to be made aware of his heart’s darkness and deceit. That is why David pleads to God to search his heart and correct his path.

Whenever I read this prayer, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the  Pharisee and the Tax Collector(Luke 18: 9-14). In the parable, the Pharisee, in his prayer, is actually reminding God(!!!!) of all the good he has done, and also thanks God that he is “not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” The Pharisee is not aware of his own deceitful heart. He also ignores/forgets Jeremiah’s dictum, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”(Jeremiah 17:9).

Dear brother and sister in Christ: when was the last time you asked God or examined your own heart to know your own heart’s deceit. Our heart lies to us and tells us - you are a good person; it’s a mistake, not sin; every one is doing it; lust is not a sin; it is cheating only when you get caught; you can repent later, go ahead and do it; deny, deny, deny; no one got hurt; accuse others; did God really say that? etc. etc. etc. And we follow our hearts and convince ourselves that we are good.

However, Jesus tells us (1) we are not good(Luke 18:19) and (2) we are to be perfect- “You therefore must be perfect,  as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  The truth is only perfect people go to heaven! Our good works do not take us to heaven; but there is good news! Jesus and His blood makes us perfect to be received in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father; until your Spirit alerted me I did not know that I am a sinner. Until then my heart was deceiving me that I was a very good person. Please continue to guide me to Jesus with Your Word and Spirit, because I need Him every moment of my life. In His name I pray. Amen