Justin R. Lester argues that real peace requires letting God search your hidden wounds instead of running from hard conversations. He uses David's prayer and family stories to show how inviting God to heal you prepares you for what's ahead.
Chapters
Are you willing to stop giving people.
A piece of your mind and say, God, I want my peace back. Y' all are missing me today.
It's a sad reality.
See, cancel culture is a cop out to conversation.
Y' all don't like me.
I say, cancel culture is a cop out to conversation.
That I refuse. I want to give you a piece of my mind because I don't like.
Peace in my life, and so I.
Want to trouble my life because God did not give me. God is not the author of confusion. He's the author of peace. And whenever I want to live into confusion, it's because I want to be against what God said. But I don't know about you, but.
I'd much rather be where God is.
Than to be where I'm trying to figure things out.
There are seasons in your life where God will force you to work through the trauma and the pain and the emotion and the family issues with the season. See where your mind is against your emotions. God, Church is so committed to your future that he will wrestle with you in private so he can present you without fault in public. And maybe that's how we can work through this season, that God will abruptly cause you to stop in your emotions and your pride and your anger and.
Your frustration and say, God, deal with.
Me so I don't bleed on the wrong people. Because your calling, your anointing, is greater than this temporary moment. So how do I do this? Pastor Justin, there's two things I want to give you. Number one, see what you see, but know what you know. See what you see. David says this first part of the prayer. David says, search me. Oh, God. David acknowledges the only way of understanding God is if I let God be God. It's so simple. Here's the power of this text. God can search you. God can get to places in you because he made you that you didn't even know existed. That if you are the manifestation of God's divine creativity, if you are the representation of God's imagination, God can get to places in you that you didn't even know existed. And David says, God, I'm going to stop trying to figure it out. God, search me, get into the places of my mind, the depth of my heart, the places in my soul that.
I refuse to talk about, that I refuse to understand. Get to the memory, God, that still doesn't make sense. I still am not healed for when I saw my parents argue. And I'm casting that onto every relationship in my life.
God, search me, because I don't want to mess up my next relationship.
God, I still am not healed from the church that hurt me 20 years ago. So God searched, search me because I see the vision of this church and I don't want to mess up this church judging my new pastor by my old pastor. God, search me so I don't mess up my next school because of my old school. God, search me so I don't screw up the future. David says, God, I don't want to screw it up.
So search me. I'm acknowledging that you're bigger than me.
I'm acknowledging that you're more powerful than me. I'm acknowledging that you're able so God, I don't want to figure it out. Maybe this is a place for some of us where God saying, I want your faith to grow up where you realize your faith is not just for church. Your faith is personal, your faith is cognitive, your faith is active and that God can get into the places that you've been trying to run away from.
God, search me David knows this is the same God I called upon when I was on the backside of a mountain. This is the same God that kept me safe when Saul was coming after me.
This is the same God that was with me when I killed tens of thousands. So God, I don't want to mistake.
My authority by killing the wrong thing. God, I'm losing my and the only way I'll find it is if you come. So God, search me Search, search me maybe your shout is right there that God is so intimate with you that he'll search you on command and instead.
Of getting upset, God, I want more.
Blessings and cards and maybe your biggest blessing in this season is search me oh God, God, what am I missing.
That will keep me where you're trying to take me?
God, search me God, for some reason I like fighting.
When you didn't call me to fight, you called me to wake up in victory God, search me God, I'm being so comfortable with telling myself what I can't do God, where's your scriptures that tell me what I can do? God, search me God I've been so comfortable God hurting other people when I forgot that you never called us to hurt you called us to heal God, search me and when God searches you you can testify like my grandmama what.
A friend we have in Jesus.
I wish I had a witness all our sins and griefs to bear what a privilege it is to carry watch this everything to God in prayer. And then I got my mom, my grandmama got happy. She said, oh, what Peace we often forfeit oh, what needless pains we bear. Cause I don't take everything to God in prayer, but church. I came to tell you one thing. You've got a friend in Jesus. That you can take everything to him, and he won't judge you. He won't kick you out, he won't fire you. He won't cancel you. He will knock you. But he'll build your hopes on things eternal.
And you hold to God's unchanging hand. David shows us that you are never so strong that you can't get stronger. That is so. That's so good. Thank you. Wow. That was so good. As a matter of fact, your strength is not strengthened until you realize that you're weak and in need of Jesus. So, Percy, let me tell you, man. You are a phenomenal preacher. But you ain't done yet. God, search me.
Worship leaders, y' all are phenomenal. Opening up heaven for all of us. Can we tell you something?
But you're not. You're not done yet. Somebody say, search me, Mama, I know.
You'Re a great mama.
Oh, you killed Christmas 2021. But let me tell you something. You ain't done yet. Somebody say search me I know your.
Business is doing well. Y' all have been doing well for.
The last few years.
But let me tell you something. You. Your adaptability you found in 2020 is not done in 2022.
Somebody say search me. Have you allowed God into the depths beyond the walls that you've built to keep him out? Maybe God. I need you to search me.
