November 18                                   Mic 1 - 3

ANY HIDING PLACE

MEMORISE: 'Can anyone hide himself in secret places That I shall not see him? Saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Saith the LORD.' (Jer 23:24)
READ: Psalm 139:7-12

Is there a place you can hide from the Most High God? There is nowhere. God sees all you do. Beyond this, he knows your innermost thoughts. In our reading, David was writing experientially. He had committed adultery with Uriah's wife and thereafter cleverly manipulated Uriah's murder on the battlefield. He thought nobody knew, but God did. God sent the prophtet Nathan to pronounce a sentence on him for the sins that he thought was hidden. It was after this experience that he wrote the psalm.

It is unfortunate that some think that the one who created eyes can no longer see; or that God has suddenly become liberal. But Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. This means that the world may change, values may change, governments may change, everything else may change but God, his word and his standards do not change. 'Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed' (1 Sam 2:3).

Do you know that everything you do will be weighed by God to determine its hidden motives? You had better watch what you do. By the time his secrets came to light and sentence was pronounced on him, David was clever enough not to argue. He simply begged for mercy. God is truly a God of mercy. But he is also a God of judgement. God told David the sword would never depart from his house. The child of the illicit affair was to die. David thought he could change God's mind through fasting and prayer, but he failed. When deliberately sin, do not think you can appease God by fasting and rolling on the ground. The wage of sin is death.

After the death of his child, David wrote Psalm 51:5-7. There he asked God to purge him on the inside and in verse 10, he asked God for a new heart. God promised to give a new heart in Ezekiel 36:26. the heart of man is desperately wicked, hence we should ask God for a new heart. Ask God for a heart that pants after God; for one that will desire to Please God always.

ACTION POINT
Resolve to engage in acts you can henceforth be proud of.
Ask the Lord to give you a heart that longs for him.