Into The Breach – Practices Of A Christian ManSample

Day 2 — Examine your conscience every night

Read: Psalm 139:1-5, 23-24

If we could, just for a moment, see ourselves as God sees us, we would love our lives dearly and be forever grateful. God knows us far better than we know ourselves and sees every part of us, and still loves us immeasurably. Psalm 139, perhaps the most intimate of all the psalms, is a meditation on how our lives remain in the embrace of God. The One who encompasses all space and time is intimately close. Although God does not move from place to place as we do, yet God is present in every place. He is completely present, and no one can escape his divine reach.

This understanding of God can evoke awe and wonder, reverence and gratitude. As we make this prayer our own and reflect on our relationship with God, we deepen our desire for God’s presence and his life. And we surrender our lives to God’s pursuit and rest in his all-knowing presence and his everlasting love.

A fruitful way to personally enter the presence of our all-knowing and all-loving God is to examine our conscience at the end of each day. First, take a few moments to review the day, thanking God for all the blessings you have received in every encounter, every opportunity, every challenge. Then, consider those moments in which you have failed, in word, deed, or omission, asking for the grace of repentance and forgiveness. Finally, prepare for the day ahead by asking God’s blessing and help in whatever faces us, confidently placing the future in God’s hands. 

Reflect: How could a nightly examination of God’s grace and my sin lead me to greater intimacy with God? 

Prayer: You examine me, O God, and know my heart. You understand me through and through, and you care about every aspect of my existence. Guide the path of my life and lead me in your way.