Tuesday, August 9, 2022

More Than What You Believe

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

    do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

    and he will show you which path to take.

Psalm 139:23-24

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.

 

We’re going to do things a bit out of order today.  I invite you to listen to the song before going further.  Go ahead. I’ll wait until you come back

Song: Casting Crowns - Here’s My Heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkSBmRAVXNc

This song/prayer makes me cry every time.  I think it’s because it helped me hear the above Psalm in a different way.  For most of my life, I have heard as a prayer to ask God to point out my sin.  To be sure, it is that and we need to pray it that way. But it is more than that; the words are “point out anything in me that offends you.”  And listening to “Here’s my heart,” I realized that more than just sin offends God.  When I think that I’m trash (yes I have thought that before) that offends God because God did not make me trash.  When I think that I’m stupid, that offends God for the same reason.  When I believe what others say or think about me that I am somehow not good enough for whatever, God is offended because God wants me to believe what God has said about me. What God thinks about you is more important than what anyone else says. It’s even more important than what you think about you. Just in case you didn’t hear that let me say it one more time; what God thinks about you is more important than what you think about you.  Faith is believing what God says is truth. And here is the truth of God about you: You are found, You are God’s, You are loved, You’re made pure, You have life, You can breathe, You are healed, You are free.  You are more than enough.

 

Prayer: God help me to believe what you think about me.  Help me see that the insults I may hear and the insults that I sometimes inflict upon myself are just as offensive to you as my sin.  Here’s my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for our country as we enter another election season in the midst of multiple crises.

 

Bonus Song: Psalm 139 Far Too Wonderful - Shane and Shane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmsgYY-INf8

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