And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
It is a prayer asking God to search the heart and thoughts, uncover any wicked way inside, and lead in the way that leads to everlasting life with Him. To be searched is to let the life appear as seen by His all-searching eye, to have Him throw light into the hidden, darkened chambers of motive and passion and quicken the conscience until sin is seen in its loathsomeness. It calls for constant, earnest self-examination in humility, recognizing besetting sins and secret idols, comparing motives, principles and actions with the standard of duty in His word, and confessing and forsaking whatever grieves Christ. It turns attention away from watching and censuring others to diligently searching one's own heart, repenting of one's own sins and putting self to death. It is the aim of a daily converted person who rejects self-complacency and counterfeit righteousness, seeking inward truth and humility with the law written in the heart and the whole heart enlisted in union with the divine.
Prayer for Searching Guidance
The prayer asks God to search the heart and thoughts, expose any wicked way within, and lead in the way everlasting. It opens the whole inner life to His searching gaze, asking Him to examine the heart, uncover wickedness, reveal any wicked course, and make the ways clear. It calls for the heart to be opened to His full knowledge and submitted to His refining and purification, so that envy, slander, selfishness and undue self-esteem do not shape purposes or actions and the person may escape worldly corruption and share in the divine nature. It belongs to times set apart for searching the heart, confessing sins and renewing vows to God, as at camp meetings and prayer meetings. It expresses the aim of a daily converted person, to keep God's will before them and serve Him with unfeigned desire.
The prayer is addressed to God as the searcher of hearts and tester of motives. He sees motives, intentions and purposes even when the heart is full of conflicting feelings that can wander into impurity and deceit. Keeping the Lord continually before oneself leads to careful, safe conduct before Him.
To be searched means to let life appear as seen by His all-searching eye, to have Him try thoughts and actions, reveal the deep hidden part, throw light within the darkened cells where passion reigns, and quicken the conscience till it feels the loathsomeness of sin. It means to have Him search the thoughts, the secret springs, the motives that control, and the chamber where polluted things hold empire over the soul, until His fiery holy light shines through all. Then the sinner is brought by grace to fall prostrate before Him, is led in the way everlasting, and learns that God alone in Christ is unutterable love. This appeal to be searched and led belongs to the setting of God's presence everywhere and His knowledge of what happens in secret.
The way everlasting is the path of life with God, the way that leads to everlasting life. The prayer shows the need for union of the human with the divine, with all the heart enlisted in the conflict and the law of God written in the heart. Without truth stamped upon the soul and brought into its sanctuary as the principle of action, profession is only empty sound, truth loses power over mind and conscience, and the soul will never obey the truth. Through neglect to practice the truth it loses power, and through love of sin the Word loses its light, so that professing to love the Saviour while love does not actuate service brings certain ruin and loss of the love and Spirit of God. The prayer rejects self-complacency and counterfeit righteousness by seeking inward truth and humility rather than self-admiration, keeping the Lord continually before oneself for careful, safe conduct.
Honest Self-Examination Applied
The prayer calls for constant, earnest self-examination and prayer, offered in humility while walking softly before God, so that envy, slander, selfishness and undue self-esteem do not shape purposes or actions. It seeks inward truth and humility rather than self-admiration, with obstinacy and self-love overcome through honest heart-searching. Being unwilling to undergo God's searching reveals a serious spiritual condition and is perilous, for God uses trials to expose and separate the dross from Christian character so that divine love can be reflected.
Honest examination means recognizing besetting sins and likely temptations, and asking God to reveal secret sin, iniquity or an unrenounced idol. It compares motives, principles and actions with the standard of duty in His word, to discover what is hindering His Spirit. It requires confessing and forsaking sin and putting away whatever grieves Christ, since cherished evil makes worship a mockery. It includes prayer against deception, lest a person grow careless while merely performing religious duties, and calls for recognition of sinfulness and repentance before it is too late.
The prayer keeps those who claim to be sons and daughters of God from having the crooked ways and perverse doings around them dim the luster of their piety or lead them to conform habits, customs and practices to the world. Opened to His full knowledge and submitted to His refining and purification, they may escape worldly corruption and share in the divine nature. The verse turns attention from watching and censuring others to diligently searching one's own heart, setting one's own house in order, repenting of one's own sins, correcting one's own wrongs and putting self to death. It remembers that Satan is a wily foe who hedges up the way of every soul who serves the Lord, so that none are free from his temptations. No one gives account for another's sins or answers for another's wrongs, is conscience for another or dictates what he must do, and no one should neglect great principles of truth to descend to little particulars and finding fault. Motives should be searched and the self revealed before judging others or unwisely criticizing their proposals in council or board meetings.
The verse is applied to examining the heart and past life for complete conformity to God's will. It means seeing oneself as one is without hiding defects of character and lack of consecration, holding to convictions of right and duty and turning to the Lord with all the heart to see one's true condition and know what one must be to be saved. It means closely searching the heart while becoming acquainted with the Bible, with the glory of God as the high aim of life. Prayed together with requests for increased faith and cleansing from every spot and stain of sin and for grace to make thorough reformation, it gives precious seasons that strengthen the soul and keep excellent courage, hope and sweet peace in the heart. It belongs to times set apart for searching the heart, confessing sins and renewing vows to God, such as camp meetings and prayer meetings.
It is a prayer asking God to search the heart and thoughts, uncover any wicked way inside, and lead in the way that leads to everlasting life with Him. To be searched is to let the life appear as seen by His all-searching eye, to have Him throw light into the hidden, darkened chambers of motive and passion and quicken the conscience until sin is seen in its loathsomeness. It calls for constant, earnest self-examination in humility, recognizing besetting sins and secret idols, comparing motives, principles and actions with the standard of duty in His word, and confessing and forsaking whatever grieves Christ. It turns attention away from watching and censuring others to diligently searching one's own heart, repenting of one's own sins and putting self to death. It is the aim of a daily converted person who rejects self-complacency and counterfeit righteousness, seeking inward truth and humility with the law written in the heart and the whole heart enlisted in union with the divine.
Prayer for Searching Guidance
The prayer asks God to search the heart and thoughts, expose any wicked way within, and lead in the way everlasting. It opens the whole inner life to His searching gaze, asking Him to examine the heart, uncover wickedness, reveal any wicked course, and make the ways clear. It calls for the heart to be opened to His full knowledge and submitted to His refining and purification, so that envy, slander, selfishness and undue self-esteem do not shape purposes or actions and the person may escape worldly corruption and share in the divine nature. It belongs to times set apart for searching the heart, confessing sins and renewing vows to God, as at camp meetings and prayer meetings. It expresses the aim of a daily converted person, to keep God's will before them and serve Him with unfeigned desire.
The prayer is addressed to God as the searcher of hearts and tester of motives. He sees motives, intentions and purposes even when the heart is full of conflicting feelings that can wander into impurity and deceit. Keeping the Lord continually before oneself leads to careful, safe conduct before Him.
To be searched means to let life appear as seen by His all-searching eye, to have Him try thoughts and actions, reveal the deep hidden part, throw light within the darkened cells where passion reigns, and quicken the conscience till it feels the loathsomeness of sin. It means to have Him search the thoughts, the secret springs, the motives that control, and the chamber where polluted things hold empire over the soul, until His fiery holy light shines through all. Then the sinner is brought by grace to fall prostrate before Him, is led in the way everlasting, and learns that God alone in Christ is unutterable love. This appeal to be searched and led belongs to the setting of God's presence everywhere and His knowledge of what happens in secret.
The way everlasting is the path of life with God, the way that leads to everlasting life. The prayer shows the need for union of the human with the divine, with all the heart enlisted in the conflict and the law of God written in the heart. Without truth stamped upon the soul and brought into its sanctuary as the principle of action, profession is only empty sound, truth loses power over mind and conscience, and the soul will never obey the truth. Through neglect to practice the truth it loses power, and through love of sin the Word loses its light, so that professing to love the Saviour while love does not actuate service brings certain ruin and loss of the love and Spirit of God. The prayer rejects self-complacency and counterfeit righteousness by seeking inward truth and humility rather than self-admiration, keeping the Lord continually before oneself for careful, safe conduct.
Honest Self-Examination Applied
The prayer calls for constant, earnest self-examination and prayer, offered in humility while walking softly before God, so that envy, slander, selfishness and undue self-esteem do not shape purposes or actions. It seeks inward truth and humility rather than self-admiration, with obstinacy and self-love overcome through honest heart-searching. Being unwilling to undergo God's searching reveals a serious spiritual condition and is perilous, for God uses trials to expose and separate the dross from Christian character so that divine love can be reflected.
Honest examination means recognizing besetting sins and likely temptations, and asking God to reveal secret sin, iniquity or an unrenounced idol. It compares motives, principles and actions with the standard of duty in His word, to discover what is hindering His Spirit. It requires confessing and forsaking sin and putting away whatever grieves Christ, since cherished evil makes worship a mockery. It includes prayer against deception, lest a person grow careless while merely performing religious duties, and calls for recognition of sinfulness and repentance before it is too late.
The prayer keeps those who claim to be sons and daughters of God from having the crooked ways and perverse doings around them dim the luster of their piety or lead them to conform habits, customs and practices to the world. Opened to His full knowledge and submitted to His refining and purification, they may escape worldly corruption and share in the divine nature. The verse turns attention from watching and censuring others to diligently searching one's own heart, setting one's own house in order, repenting of one's own sins, correcting one's own wrongs and putting self to death. It remembers that Satan is a wily foe who hedges up the way of every soul who serves the Lord, so that none are free from his temptations. No one gives account for another's sins or answers for another's wrongs, is conscience for another or dictates what he must do, and no one should neglect great principles of truth to descend to little particulars and finding fault. Motives should be searched and the self revealed before judging others or unwisely criticizing their proposals in council or board meetings.
The verse is applied to examining the heart and past life for complete conformity to God's will. It means seeing oneself as one is without hiding defects of character and lack of consecration, holding to convictions of right and duty and turning to the Lord with all the heart to see one's true condition and know what one must be to be saved. It means closely searching the heart while becoming acquainted with the Bible, with the glory of God as the high aim of life. Prayed together with requests for increased faith and cleansing from every spot and stain of sin and for grace to make thorough reformation, it gives precious seasons that strengthen the soul and keep excellent courage, hope and sweet peace in the heart. It belongs to times set apart for searching the heart, confessing sins and renewing vows to God, such as camp meetings and prayer meetings.