The Prayer God Answers, Part 3
“See if there is any hurtful way in me.” Psalm 139:24a
In verse 24, the Psalmist continues his prayer for examination. He uses some powerful words to convey some serious truth.
The psalmist asks the Lord to see if there is any “hurtful” way in him. This word, hurtful, derives from the Hebrew root ’atzab and carries significant meaning. In some translations, it is “painful” or “sorrowful.” But this root, in its verbal form, also means “fashion, make, form, stretch into shape.” More specifically, it can be connected to the creation of earthen vessels, as in idol making.
On one hand, we see the relationship between hurt and the acting of carving or cutting. (Being hurt is like being cut.) But we also see a connection with the object of the cutting. In ancient times, people “cut” their own gods, wooden or earthen vessels in which people placed misguided faith. While we may not be carving images out of wood or molding them out of clay, we can easily suffer from the same practice. We place our faith in or give our devotion to jobs, spouses, children, money, power or any number of things that displace the One True God.
The psalmist, it would seem, understood this human tendency. His prayer is not simply that he would be a nice guy and avoid meanness. His prayer is much more than this. He is asking God to expose anything in his life that is cut-like - whether that be an action or an object.
The question becomes: are we bold enough to ask the Lord to reveal these things in our hearts? Are we willing to let Him expose our sorrowful ways? It’s risky, and we may not always like what we see. But we are assured that this examination leads to both revelation and restoration.
Michelle Lynn Nipp
I believe God wrote a wondrous story – His story – to capture the hearts and minds of all His creation. My passion is sharing this story! Through word studies, bible teaching and other resources, I want to see you experience the absolute awesomeness and wonder of history’s greatest story, the Bible.