I was listening to the news this morning and it seems that the TSA has started upgrading their security scans to the point that they don’t even have to pat you down anymore. How? They have new very sensitive machines that can scan you at any time you are in certain areas of the airport. These machines are so high tech that they are going to change the whole way security is done. Of course, it further emphasizes the point that “Big Brother is Watching!” I know I appreciate the secure feeling it gives me to know that there is not a bomb on the plane I’m flying. So, I don’t mind someone checking me to see if I have something that is questionable in my luggage, cause I know that it is being done to everyone else. Some of my friends actually feel insulted to think that someone would question them or frisk them to verify their credibility. If this new system is all it seems to be, they won’t have to worry about that anymore.
Psalm 139 is a scripture that parallels the scan or search issue. I know it is a great scripture that I personally use when talking about abortion and other issues and praise God that we are so fearfully and wonderfully made. But….there is a flip side to that whole scripture. What is it? God REALLY knows us. I mean REALLLLLLLLY knows us. You know what I mean. He knows it all. When David wrote this he wasn’t saying, “God, I give you permission to scan me and see if everything is all right with me.” God had already been scanning and searching and He knew everything about David’s heart. He saw everything David did and said and knew if his heart was right or not. When scanning, if God saw something that wasn’t right He dealt with it right there. Just like at the airport. For me God’s pat down search has been pretty rough at times, but I needed it. I needed it brought to my attention that I had things in my life that weren’t cutting it and they were not acceptable for my flight through life. Sometimes I was even insulted a little when showed my true heart and my lack of real commitment that showed up on God’s scanner, but it was necessary for the safety of all.
Now when I read Psalm 139 and see how much God loves me, I also see how much God knows me. I also realize that His scanner is for my own good. If I was allowed to just go my own way with no stops my life would be like an exploding bomb and the collateral damage would be horrific. So now my attitude is like this at God’s scanner. God scan me and see if there is anything I’m carrying that could hurt me. He will definitely pick it up and He will show it to me and then I can remove it. Scan complete. David said it well in verse 1 of Psalm 139 where he said, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.” Wow! That kind of search I don’t mind. There is a follow up to that verse in verse 23 where he says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts.” You see, David was known as a man after God’s own heart, and since that was the beat of his heart, he wanted God to be constantly scanning his life for improvement. That’s the way it should be for us believers. Boldly approaching the throne of grace, and then humbly allowing God to scan us to show us how to be more like Him. David closes the Psalm by asking God to lead Him in the everlasting way. Guess what that means? It means, “God, please keep me focused on those things that are eternal, not temporal.” Now that’s a great heart.
Think about it. God is constantly in touch with all that is going on in your life. From time to time He will pat you down. Don’t resist! It’s His way of showing you what is best and what needs to go on in your life. Your acceptance of God working, reallllly working in your life, will show your heart. Will you show a heart that is turned toward God, or one that is running from God. The scanners are on full power and God is watching!!!
The Pilgrimage continues….
David Warren