Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Chapter 308

Search and guide me!

8th September 1843

“Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and see what I think! And see whether I am on the wicked way, and guide me on an eternal way! "(Psalm 139: 23 f.)

[1] Concerning these verses, they are easy to recognize, and their meaning is too open for Me to have to give a powerful explanation about them! Truly, here I also want to say to you: How long will I have to endure you in your lack of understanding? How long will I still have to preach to you so that you become more understanding?

[2] But do you know the reason why you still do not understand such easy passages? Behold, in your not infrequent lukewarmness of loving earnest, and in the still capable portion of world-dust that still sticks to you in many ways! You may be industrious in writing and reading, but you are not equally serious in acting – that is why you may not see brightly the differences between the spiritual and the worldly, both with you and with your much more worldly than spiritual family!

[3] Behold, the world is very flexible and adjustable, and knows how to fuse it’s dead stuff with the spiritual stuff so skillfully that you see it, if not as spiritual, then as completely harmless! But that's not the case! And I tell you: The worldly is nowhere and never more dangerous than when it appears inconspicuous, seemingly completely harmless and very meek and insignificant!

[4] For if it is glaringly obvious, then even a blind man will be aware of it and can stand up to it. But if it emerge in very quiet and seemingly innocent degrees, then it is a creeping poison, which never leaves out it’s victims and most surely drags them down into the ruin of eternal death! It resembles a vampire who gently puts his prey into the sweetest sleep, only to suck out the last drop of blood from it undisturbed!

[5] And now, behold, this very condition – which David also knew only too well, because of which he cried out "Search me, God, and know my heart, test me, and know what I think! And see if I am in an evil way, and guide me in the eternal way!”

[6] For "Search me, God!" Means: Enlighten me, God, with your grace! And "Know my heart!" means: See what is at the bottom of my life, whether worldly poisons in the clothing of the spiritual, or whether really spiritual? And "Know what I think!" Means: Enlighten me so that I can come to a correct understanding and thereby recognize how my present understanding is ordered!

[7] Likewise, the 24th verse says exactly the same thing: "And see whether I am on a wicked way". That is, let me see which way I walk? But it says "Guide me in the eternal way" but visible: let me recognize and walk the pure spiritual ways to eternal life!

[8] Behold, this is the exceedingly easy understanding of these verses! But if already the exceedingly spiritual and righteous seer David, the man after my heart, had such respect for the "world" secretly creeping in, and so sometimes did not know how he should respond to many an innocent seeming appearance from the world – how much more is such a thing needed for you in the present time, in which the world knows how to gloss over even it’s most glaring evil deeds, so that they appear quite moral and in the greatest order!

[9] Which of you will reprove a young man who is anxious to get married, or likewise a virgin? Before the world, such things are fair. But see, it is not so with Me. For whoever does not first become actively dedicated to Me, he is a lecher of the world, and the virgin is a despicable harlot to Me! For whoever can at any time even fleetingly forget about Me, is not worthy of Me. And I certainly turn My face away from him at once, and do not look at him until he will sacrifice to Me all that he has. For I am God, on whom everything depends, and know why I created man!

[10] But if the potter does not succeed to make a pot, he crushes it. But I am the Creator and also know what I will do with the unwanted vessels. Understand this! Because I, the Lord, tells you!