Someone hurts you, and you’re embarrassed, wounded, and betrayed. You tell yourself and others that you’ve forgiven them, but you nurture your grievance deep in your soul. You have not forgiven. The debris of hatred and anger begins to accumulate. The flow of God’s cleansing water is diverted. You may not even realize it.

Psalm 139 goes into great detail about God’s ability to know, with his loving Father-heart, where we are: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (verses 1-3).

God knows more than our location on Planet Earth. He deeply understands where we are in regard to our relationship with him and others. Scary thought or lifeline?

Lifeline. When we ask him, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (verses 23,24), we are asking him to shine a light into our dark corners and sweep out any accumulated debris. Then God’s waters of life flow freely. 

What if you sat quietly today with the Lord and invited him to “search you” to see if there is any grudge that you hold against another person? Picture him looking in the corners of your soul. As he reveals sore spots to you, ask him to “lead [you] in the way everlasting” (verse 24) and help you sweep away anger and hatred and let his healing love flow.