Search Our Hearts, Lord

Well, today has been one of those days that the Lord was so good to me in revealing that I had in fact, been harboring selfishness about a certain issue within my heart. "How can that be good?" you might be saying. It is good, dear friend, when the Lord shows us the secret faults of our heart, as Psalm 139 says, "Lord, search me and see if there be any wicked way in me." When the Lord brings an area of your heart under the spotlight of his love and grace, exposing it to you, do not run away from that. Sometimes, the truth can be extremely painful, yet it sets us free as well. It sets us free to be cleansed, to be washed whiter than snow, to be restored and renewed with joy and peace.

I had a friend once who wanted to read a certain book, yet she was avoiding this book as it laid on her shelf because, as she put it, "I know that when I read it, I am going to have to make some changes, and frankly, I'm just not ready or willing right now." I must say that although her honesty was admirable, I don't think this is the attitude which we need to nurture within our lives. She knew the book would bring about conviction in her life, and she didn't want to receive it.

We must pursue a heart that is fully open to whatever the Lord wants to do in us or show us about ourselves, even when it hurts. For my part, I had allowed a seed of selfishness to begin to sprout, all the while justifying my actions and attitudes. Yet, during the time which I was allowing this selfish attitude to accumulate, I was also praying to the Lord to reveal anything in me that was not pleasing to Him. I was saying to the Lord, "Either change the situation that I don't like, Lord or change me." And guess what? He honored that prayer! He answered that prayer through His Word by showing me the error of my ways. Blessed be His name!

It is said somewhere in the Word that a wise person will not despise correction. I long to be a wise woman, not despising correction in my life. I never want to allow pride to blind me to the sin which may be lurking in my life. May we never despise or reject the correction of the Lord. It is His loving-kindness that exposes the darkness within in order to conform us more to the precious image of His Son, our example, our Teacher in every way. We must allow His Word to pierce and divide our souls, to change us and transform us. Sometimes it may require confessing our sins to one another, that we may be healed, asking for forgiveness not only from the Lord but from the one you have hurt here on earth as well.

I praise God that I can rejoice tonight because He has restored my peace and my joy in Him. When we are willing to humble ourselves, He will lift us up and carry us. It was as if a cloud of heaviness had enveloped me for a few days, and now I can say the cloud has dissipated and is no longer hanging around me because of God's faithfulness. Thank you, my Lord; The Redeemer and Restorer of my soul.