(Monday, 11-12-07) Prayer 31 - David's Prayer for Guidance

Read First:
Psalm 139

Hear It!

When faith grows and matures it is able to perceive or understand some things about God that weren’t possible before. When David received God’s gracious and merciful forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheeba, it opened up an avenue for an even deeper appreciation of the nature and character of God.

In Psalm 139, David reveals his understanding of God and His relationship with man. In this psalm are some of the deepest and most challenging concepts of that divine -human connection. It is to the fact of the great difference between God and man that David makes his appeal for guidance. Don’t miss the plea of the last part of this psalm.

What Can We Learn?
1. God is all-knowing (139:1-6)
2. God is all-present (139:7-12)
3. God is all-powerful (139:13-16)
4. God’s greatness is beyond human comprehension (139:17 -18)
5. The psalmist’s choice of God over all others (139:19-22)
6. The psalmist’s request to the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God (139:23-24)

Questions to Ponder
1. If verses 1-6 are an accurate description of how well God knows us, make your own list of things God knows about us (you!).
2. Where do people go when they attempt to flee or hide from God? Why doesn’t it work? Why do they keep trying to hide?
3. What are some of the practical implications of the fact that it is by God’s power that we are formed in our mother’s womb? In other words, how extensive is God’s understanding of the way we’re made?
4. What are some of the things about God that are beyond your comprehension?
5. What emotions do you feel when reading David’s request for God to “search me . . . and know my heart?”
6. 139:24 can be translated “way of pain” instead of “hurtful way.” What are some of the ways of pain that people follow?