None of us ever wants to call bad times down on our heads, do we? After all, didn’t Jesus teach us to pray Lead us not into a time of temptation but deliver us from evil? Didn’t He?

It’s interesting how different verses in the Bible can appear to say different things – almost 180-degree opposites. What’s going on? Assuming that God didn’t make a mistake, what He means is for both those verses to be there and for us to figure out what they mean together.

So, here’s a verse that appears to stand in stark contrast to what Jesus said:

Psalm 139:23,24 God, examine me and know my mind. Test me and know all my worries. Make sure that I am not going the wrong way. Lead me on the path that has always been right.

This is a pretty harsh verse. Examine me … test me. The original Hebrew text carries with it a sense of real-life trial and testing. David’s asking God to take him through whatever’s needed to ensure that he’s headed the right way, not the wrong way. Why? Because in the verses leading up to this, he prayed:

Psalm 139:19-22 God, kill those wicked people … I hate those who hate you. I hate those who are against you. I hate them completely! Your enemies are also my enemies.

Those are strong words: I hate them completely! Though righteous anger it may be, David knows that it’s dangerous. Hence his plea to be examined, tested, tried. It’s a plea for God to check the motivations of his heart. And it’s a plea that demonstrates his God-above-all approach to life.

So, is your life on a God-above-all footing?

Lord examine me. Test me. Lead me down the right path, no matter what the cost.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.