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)

Search Me

The omniscience of God is difficult to grasp because the limitations of man make it hard to understand how a Being can have all knowledge of all things at all times. God existed before the world, so His power is unlimited. He created the world and framed everything according to time, and limited man’s habitation to know only what God allows. No one can read another’s mind. The wisdom of man attempts to probe the mysteries of the mind, but at best fails miserably. One of the challenges of the mind is the erroneous idea that what a man thinks, says, and does can go unnoticed. What a man thinks is contained within the walls of his mind that no man can probe. A man can say and do things in secret from the prying eyes of others, but he is not alone. In fact, he is never alone. There is never a time when the soul of man is hidden from the visage of the Almighty God.

Jesus told Nicodemus that men love darkness. The reason they love darkness is that they think they can get away with anything in the absence of light. What is done in secret is hidden from the eyes of men. The eyes of the Lord peer through the darkness because He created light and darkness. What is hidden in the eyes of man is clearly revealed before the eyes of God. Compounding the reality of God’s omniscience is the omnipotence of God to retain everything a man says, thinks, or does in a span of life – even if you live to be 969 years. God knows all. He sees all, and He remembers all. If God can hold the universe in His hand, He can know everything about a man’s character.

The psalmist David positively declared God’s omniscience. He challenges the soul with four words: “Search me, O God.” David knew God saw all things. When David and Bathsheba committed adultery, God knew it. The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to remind David that what he did was not done in secret. Scripture establishes that God knows all things, but David takes the thought to a higher level. The psalmist invites God to search him in every part of his life. David does not suggest that God does not do that already, but that David’s spirit was willing to open his life before God to seek His blessings. When a man invites God to search his heart, he invites complete disclosure. David wants God to know his heart. He is asking God to try him, as metal is tried in fire to make it stronger. David invites the Lord to conduct a divine inspection of the heart.

It takes a courageous and bold heart to invite the Lord to do what He can do anyway. The lesson is not so much denying that God can do so, but the individual’s faith to willingly open his life to the microscope of the Lord, who peers deep into the fullest measure of the soul. David’s prayer is more a resolution to keep wickedness from his heart, knowing that God stands at the door. Knowing that God sees all things is designed to help the soul refrain from evil. David also wanted the Lord to lead him in the way everlasting. He knew that God could not do that unless David were righteous before the Lord. David wanted the Lord to be the examiner of his heart, giving him hope of eternal life.

All men sin and fall short of God’s glory. Anytime God looks on the heart of a man, He will see the failures of sin. The child of God seeks God’s grace to look into the heart with mercy, looking for the everlasting path to glory. David’s prayer is a challenge that will change the hearts of those who seek the examination of God in their lives. Faith grows stronger when we ask God to examine our hearts. Can you say like David, “Search me, O God”?