“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well…Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139: 13-14 & 23-24

I have two really neat nephews. Although the word “neat” sounds understated, that is how I think of them. They are just neat people who are manly without being brutish and are loving, funny, and geniuses in their respective interests. My youngest nephew, Brandon, who is 20, is a martial artist with a voracious appetite for reading anything from comics to 1,000 page novels. He is also a computing/networking guru. I love listening to him talk about computers, even though when he speaks he sounds like Charlie Brown’s school teacher to me.

A couple of years ago Brandon built himself a computer. He spent months researching parts, components, and other techie things that go way over my head. When it was complete, my husband and I went to his apartment for a “tour” of his new computer. Brandon showed us all the bells and whistles while making that it do things I would never be able to make a computer do. Anyone could use the computer but to get the fullness of its utility it was best put in the hands of its builder.

Psalm 139:13, as read in the King James Version says, “For Thou hast possessed my reins…” It is also interesting to note the original Hebrew word (kilyah) that is translated as “reins” may also be translated as kidneys. In the Hebrew world, the kidneys were thought of as more than just an organ. Using this word signified the "seat of emotion," as some call it, or the soul - the place from which our passions originate. It is God, our Maker who, as these very intimate verses tell us, has created us and has the right to take the reins. He is the only one who can rightly direct our soul and our passions. Our soul knows God and His works quite well.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We live in an age of self-awareness and self-help, especially for young adults. While these are not bad practices, we should remember these words from the psalmist. He asks God to search his innermost being and reveal anything that is a detour from everlasting life. Daily remember to give God the reins. You will live life at its fullest when you render your soul back to its maker.

Discussion Question: What areas of your life do you “take the reins” or are you not trusting God to direct you in? What places of growth has He shown you in your own life?

See more devotions from Monique and our other Young Adult writers, or find our how you can become a writer yourself, at our By Young Adults for Young Adults devotion page.