Search, Try, Know and See

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. Psalms 139:23-24.

Have you ever asked God to search your heart? Have you ever allowed the veil of shame to be removed so that your heart is exposed before the One who knows the content of your heart? Have you ever been brave enough to let your self-imposed covering, like that of Adam and Eve’s fig leaves, fall to the ground and stand before the Almighty God and Judge of the world naked? It is a solemn place, even a scary place to be examined by The Almighty, to allow Him to search you, know you, try you, and see you.

Let's spend a few moments looking at the words "search, know, try, and see" in the original Hebrew text to understand the depth of their meaning.

So, “Search”, or “Hâgar”, means to penetrate, to examine intimately, to find out, to search it out, to seek it out, to sound, and to try. You get the sense that this word carries now.

"Know" or “Yâda̒" has many meanings but is commonly used to learn, perceive, find out, come out, distinguish, know by experience, recognise, consider, and reveal. Again, this is a very exposing and intimate word that expresses the principle that there is nothing that God doesn't see and understand.

And Try, or Bâhan, means to test, especially metal, to investigate, examine, prove, tempt, and the image here is of a smelter with molten metal to see what impurities come to the surface.  

Finally, “See” or Râ̒â means to behold, discern, have experience, gaze, take heed, look upon, meet, be near, perceive, regard, respect, show, spy, stare, surely think and view. This again speaks of examination, looking at every aspect and being exposed.

So, are you ready? Are you willing to pray this prayer? You know in your heart it must be done.

The promise is clear: You will be led in the way everlasting, led by the Spirit, led by the Good Shepherd.   So what have you lost compared with what you have to gain, Everlasting Life.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10