Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Psalm 51:6 WEB (God Desires Truth)
People will try and fool other people. Sometimes we fool ourselves. One thing we cannot do is fool God. The Lord is omniscient. He knows all things. God knows a man’s heart and his thoughts. We read in Psalm 139:2, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. NIV” It may be that we are able to fool men with a superficial front, but we are not able to hide our true intentions from God.
David is writing about God taking pleasure when truth resides in a man’s heart and soul. Like any sinner, David was defiled by his deeds. The king had convinced himself that he could get away with sin. He had covered them up, but God had exposed them, causing David to repent and learn to live in truth. David learned to seek wisdom the hard way, from his failings.
We should beware of fooling ourselves. Sometimes we think we are getting away with sin when God is just being patient with us. Galatians 6:7 says, “Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. WEB” This principle is as true today as when it was written.
God Is Not Fooled
So, if we think we are fooling man, we will never fool God. Mark 4:22 makes clear, “For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light. WEB” We should guard against the human tendency to put on a good front for the world. It doesn’t matter so much what the world thinks, and God, who desires truth, already knows who and what we are.
Christ taught us how important it is to be righteous through and through. In Matthew 23:27-28 the Lord said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. WEB” God desires for us to be good and not just look good.
Prayer: “Father God, help me to search my heart and find where I fall short. Guide me to live according to your will. Let my outward expression reflect the righteousness of Christ that is within me. Teach me wisdom in the core of my being. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Christ Strengthens Me
