A while back I had to fix the fence in the backyard.  There was board that had been used on the privacy fence that was no good.  It seemed like it was rotten.  It was a cross board that the pickets are nailed in to and it is on the backside of the fence.  The problem was it looked okay for the most part but the nails kept pulling out of it.  It seems to me like it was rotten when they originally built the fence a couple of years ago.  How I found out was some other dog stuck his head through the fence and one of the bottom pickets just swung out of the way.  All 3 of our dogs sounded the alarm and I went outside to see what was going on.  I knew I had to fix that problem or some dog would get in and there might be a fight or our dogs might get out and get lost!  Luckily I had a 2×4 in the garage just long enough to do the job.  I ended up re-nailing almost all of the pickets on that 8 foot section.  This task of repairing this previously unknown defect in the fence reminded me of a psalm that David wrote; Psalm 139:23 – 24.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

I think David realized that the ways of people can be just like that hidden support rail on that fence.  Some of our ways are hidden and can begin to deteriorate and go bad.  We don’t even notice it until it’s too late.  The consequences of a flaw or a bad habit that takes us out of God’s will if not dealt with timely and appropriately can be devastating.  David knew that from personal experience, so David was asking God to bring those ways to his attention so that he could deal with them before things got out of hand.  David wanted to take care of the situation before there was trouble, before there was a fight or before a dog got out under the fence.  From time to time, we all ought to take inventory.  We should all check our fences and our boundaries to make sure that they are appropriate.  We should all ask God to show us any flaws or failures so that we can take proper action and so that He can keep us from sin and lead us in the everlasting way.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com