Pray Network Forum

Where are you going? You are going somewhere. In recent Thinking in The Spirit blog entries I wrote on repentance. And I keyed off of Psalm 139:23-24. It reads,

"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."

In the previous entries I focused on the dependence and devotion of your heart. But notice the wording of this passage. David does not ask God to search his heart for wicked thoughts, although that has to be included. He does not ask the Lord to search his life for any wicked deed. He says, "See if there is any grievous way in me." This is the primary emphasis of repentance. A line in my poem Continuing In My Word[1] reads,

"Then you will come to know and understand all that you longed for but you couldn't be."

We who belong to Christ are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. Repentance needs to be seen as our participation in that process. Suppose my temper gets out of control and I curse or harm someone. The devil accuses me. "Look what a terrible person You are." We sometimes think of those thoughts as repentance. They are not. God wants me to see where I am headed. I need God to help me change something in my heart so I will respond better the next time I am tested. Have you ever realized that you missed an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. The devil will tell you that you have blown it and God will never trust you again. That is a lie. God is telling you to be ready for the next opportunity just around the corner.

Psalm 139 concludes with the words, "Lead me in the way everlasting." God longs to get us off our dead end roads and get us moving in His eternal direction.

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.” (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895)

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three neuroscientists whose work is answering the question why we know where we are and where we’re headed.

John O’Keefe (University College, London), May-Britt Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), and Edward Moser (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) have discovered cells that form a positioning system in the human brain, kind of a hard-wired GPS. These cells tell us our physical location, help us navigate our direction, and help us remember it so we can make the same trips again. These neuroscientists have figured out that two types of cells – called place cells and grid cells -- work in harmony to make the brain know where it is and where it’s going.

Memory and orientation are critically important for both our physical and spiritual well-being. If we couldn’t remember pleasant places we’ve been, how could we repeat the journey? If we can’t remember mistakes we’ve made, how can we learn from history? If we aren’t aware of our coordinates, how can we find our way home?

In one sense, “we make the road by walking” (Spanish poet Antonio Machado, 1875-1939). In a higher sense, we find the right road by praying.

With our brain, we find our bearings. With our heart, we find our beliefs.

“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.” (Proverbs 3:5,6 NLT)

Johnny R. Almond

Christian preacher and writer

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/