Today, we are at the tail-end of one of the most beautiful and versatile of David’s psalms, Psalm 139. This psalm reminds the reader – or the singer, as the case may be – how intimately God knows us, how constantly He is with us, and that He made us!                     

Now, in the final six verses of the psalm – verses 18 through 24 – David reminds us that God judges righteously and that we cannot dispute Him. We also hear David grieving for those who ignore Him, His Word, and His ways.

The closing verses of Chapter 139 says so much about how we should interact with the Father, especially as those who are His under-shepherds, interacting with and influencing the sheep of His pasture every day.    

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

To paraphrase, David was saying, “Father, help me know me. Help me know what You know about me, so I may be fully aware and seek Your face to turn from my wicked ways.”

What do you need to know about you?              

What are the fears that have affected your relationships with others that may be hindering you from shepherding well?                  

What are the true motives behind a decision that you need to admit – either to yourself,            to the Father, or to others?            

Asking the Father the questions David asked, making the requests he made of the Father, listening for His response, and responding in a godly manner is what leads us to affecting others positively in the name of the One who shepherds us. That is what leads us to shepherd well.