Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 23,24.
Our Creator and our God, as we conclude the study of this passage of Scripture we have been reminded of Your personal care, Your unconditional love and Your endless mercies! Like the psalmist we are at a loss for words to express our gratitude to You! May You accept the gift of our surrendered lives, and may they serve to draw others to You and to Your love. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
After pondering God’s limitless knowledge; His ability to reach us everywhere and at any time; His power to save us to the uttermost; after expressing his disdain for those who are “enemies” of God, the psalmist now bows his knees before His Heavenly Father, and bares his soul before God. He wants God to do a complete work of renewal in him:
He asks to be searched. He doesn’t want anything to be hidden from God (not that we can hide anything from God). In making this petition to God I believe what David really wants is for God to reveal to him anything that he may not be aware of, that needs to be changed. He is aware that God knows everything. He is also aware of his limited knowledge. So He needs for the Almighty God to show him his true condition.
“Try me and know my anxieties.” Some bible commentators refer to this act of trying or testing by God, as a process of refining. As in the case of Job: “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
This request for examination by God is quite thorough! Observe me while I am being tried and record the results. It sounds like: “See my vulnerability under trial.” How many of us are willing to be this transparent with God even though we know that He knows us better than we know ourselves. I sometimes get the impression that we want to impress God with how good we are, rather than how needy we are of His help. Not so with David!
“And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. David means business with God. Do whatever you have to do God. Find out whatever needs fixing in me, whatever is wrong in me, and when You have corrected it, then lead me in the way that leads to life everlasting.
Amen.
No better way for a prayer to end than in complete surrender to God.