“Search me, God, and know my heart…” Psalm 139:23
Have you ever watched a television situation comedy where the characters never knock on friends’ doors, walking in announced, assuming they are welcome? Most of us in the Western world would find this unacceptable behavior. We expect a knock on the door or ring of the bell.
I love my privacy. Because my desk is in the corner of a much-used room, I bought a folding wooden screen to afford at least a small sense of privacy while I am working. I often pray for missionaries who have similar “privacy passions” yet minister in cultures where being alone is considered socially unacceptable.
While my yearning for privacy is frequently necessary to accomplish my work and even desirable in my practice of solitude for spiritual growth, that very hunger to be alone can feed an immature wish that God Himself knock before entering. Do I really want Him to view every secret desire, especially those best described as self-centered? Do I give Him ready access to every corner of my heart and mind or are there spaces I keep securely locked?
David gave God the key to his heart and life, but his words indicate that this ready access was given because David had a personal bond with God. His close relationship with the Creator of the universe almost springs off the page: “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.” (Psalm 139:17 NLT)
Could it be that the rooms of my life closed off to God are locked because I haven’t sufficiently developed that same love and trust with my Heavenly Father? In addition to gaining information about God in our spiritual growth, deeply embedded in the Hebrew and Greek meanings of the word “know” are the ideas of perceiving, experiencing, and responding to Him. When I consistently pursue not just knowing about God, but unceasingly walk in intimacy so that I ever more deeply love and understand Him, fear of opening myself completely to Him will decrease. Little by little, I will unlock the private rooms.
by Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• A Morning Prayer – By Katherine Kehler
• The Mountain Top and the Valley – by Roy Lessin
• We Hear His Voice – by Bill Bright