River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-09

|
The Christian
will pray this prayer, should pray II
daily; for, conscious of his fellowship
with God, he would have it proven
and would have taken from him every
thing hindering such fellowship. But
the sinner will pray this prayer, he
must pray it. In his case, conscious
ness of God as revealed here leads to
terror because of sin and desire for
forgiveness, acceptance and cleansing.
The Christian sees how far short he
is of the glory of God and his cry is
that nothing may interfere with COM
plete conformity, and for this he
needs faith, justifying and sanctifying.
In addition, the sinner needs saving
faith before he finds his feet in the
first steps of the way everlasting
Note the steps by which the sinner
comes to this cry-Search me.
Divine Omniscience.
God knows me, and knows all about
me Tvs. 1-6). Every movement, every
thought, every word, every way-all
known to the God with whom l have
to do. He knows me thoroughly, and
as If he had examined me minutely.
He knows all men, he knows all men
thoroughly, he knows all men con-
stantly." This solemn truth may
awaken wonder and admiration in the
Christian, it may be q great comfort
to him and an assurance of guidance
and well-being; but to the sinner it is
a solemn warning and call to re-
pentance and faith. The truth Of this
part of the Psalm has a beautiful
parallel in the epistfe to the Romans:
For of him, and through him, and to
him are all things" God knows my
down-sitting and my uprising, he COM
passes my path, he has beset me be-
hind and before, he is acquainted with
all my ways. What can a sinner do
In the presence of such God but to
say: Search me, try me :. lead
me? And God will answer his cry.
There energies another reason for
the sinners cry: he cannot get away
from this God Tvs. 7-12). God is every
where, not mere power ruling in
might and by laws really outside him
self, but a personality distinct, Sepa-
rate, superior, and seeing all l DO
"YhCu God seest me-" This every
whereness of God makes it Dreadful
an awful, thing to sin. Whittier shall
go from thy spirit? or whittier shall
flee from thy presence? Up into
heaven . in hell :. the uttermost
parts of the sea /. darkness shall
cover me s. the darkness and the
light are both alike to thee" What
can I hide from him, or where can
sin that he will not see me? Yes
but this very God who knows all about
us and who sees all we do, who
dwells in the uttermost parts of the
earth also can save to the uttermost
Thank God, he still forgives.- Search
me try me lead me.
I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
only know I cannot drift
| Beyond His love and care.
Once more the Psalmist sets forth
a reason for his cry for searching
God is associated so intimately with
his entire life, even before he him
self had any consciousness. Thine
eyes did see my substance, yet being
imperfect; and in thy book all my
members were written, which in con-
tinuance were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them" 81 am fear
fully and wonderfully made" Man is
a creature according to Gods design,
living under Gods inspection and by
Gods power. How worse than folly
not to yield ourselves to him.
| Come, let us take our proper place
as sinners, in the presence of God
who knows all about us, who sees all
we do everywhere and always, and
who has infinite care and concern
about us. Such a God should fill us
with awe that we sin not; we can
| take courage so that fear will not pos
sess us; and we can be filed with
comfort and strength; even coming
to q place of perfect sympathy with
all that God does, and doing all we
can 70 establish righteousness in the
earth.
Search me :. try me :. lead me.
This prayer is natural now. If you
have never made it there is only one
reason-you never have seen God in
his holiness, power and might. When
God searches he may find in you some
way of wickedness-unforsake sin,
some unyielded room, some unloving
spirit, some self1shness-but If you
really will to have it SO, God will lead
you in the way everlasting, a way
that shineth more and more unto the
perfect day. So, couple with this
prayer, that other petition, Create in
me a clean heart, o God, and renew
a right spirit within me-" Let your
vital concern be, Is my heart right
with Cod? for with him that is the
supreme thing. Put your prayer into
the words Of that heart-song:
Oh for heart TO praise my God,
heart from sin set free;
A heart that's sprinkled with Thy blood,
So freely shed for me.
A heart IN every thought renewed,
And full of love divine,
Perfect, and right, and pure, and good,
A copy, Lord, Of Thine.
The public is never so happy as