How comfortable am I for God to have complete freedom to search my heart? That was the question I took away from Pastor Melton’s Sunday morning’s message a few weeks ago. He challenged us to memorize Psalm 139:24-25 by reading and praying it every morning. So I did. I knew that God wanted me to put this verse away in my heart so deeply it would never wear off. I decided to take one sentence per week, memorize it, meditate on it, pray it, and start living the insights.
So that’s where I am starting this piece. You know the verse:
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Psalm 139:24
Since what is in the heart will come out in some form, it makes sense to start there. How often do we give God permission to search our heart, every part of it? Asking God to search our heart is like asking a friend to come to your house and look through all your closets and drawers and tell you what you don’t need. Only the most trusted person in your life should have all-access to the secret places. God is the only one who should carry out that searching role. Out of the trust you have in His all-for-you love, you ask him to conduct a thorough search of your heart. It’s the place where dreams grow. It’s the center of who you think you are and who you want to be. It’s the place where you hide your hurts and still-raw rejections.
Remember, this is an invitation not an inquisition. God will not break down the door to enter. And He’s not looking for what will make you look bad. He’s looking to help you actualize every prayer you have ever prayed to be everything God knows you can be.
When search me becomes the first prayer we pray, no matter the encounter, unfairness, or life reversal; we become the clay that God can and will shape. It is a trust exchange. We trust God to tell us the truth and God trusts us to do the right thing with it. In that exchange there is always enough strength to let go, confess, forgive, repent, and grow.
Search me O God and know my heart. Pray this simple several times a day this week. Pray it before you self-analyze yourself or a situation. Freeing growth and empowering protection waits. God will always say “Yes” to this prayer.
