Go! And Let God Search Your Heart - Psalm 139:23–24
Church, let’s begin this morning with a question that pierces deeper than any sermon outline or theological argument: When was the last time you truly asked God to search your heart?
We live in a world that prizes self-examination, self-help, and self-awareness — but the Bible calls us to something higher and holier: God-examination.
Our text this morning comes from Psalm 139:23–24 (NLT): “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
This is not a comfortable prayer. It’s not a light, sentimental request. This is a prayer of surrender. It’s David — a man after God’s own heart — saying, “Lord, I don’t even trust myself to see myself clearly. You must search me.”
1. The God Who Knows Everything
Before David says, “Search me,” he has already declared earlier in the psalm that God knows everything.
Psalm 139:1–4 (NLT) says:
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.”
The Hebrew word for “search” here is ?aqar (?????) — it means to investigate, probe, or examine thoroughly. It’s used of miners digging for hidden treasure beneath the surface.
David recognises that God already knows the depths of him — the hidden motives, the secret fears, the unspoken sins — yet he still invites that divine searchlight to shine.
This is humility. This is surrender.
As Charles Stanley once said: “Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. We can fool others, we can even fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God.”
And church, that’s both terrifying and liberating. Terrifying because our sin is seen; liberating because our Saviour still loves us despite it.
2. The Heart: The Real Battleground
David’s prayer continues, “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”
In Hebrew, the word for heart is le? (???) — not just the seat of emotion, but the centre of intellect, will, and moral character.
The heart is the true self — who we are when no one else is looking.
Jeremiah 17:9–10 (NLT) warns us:
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.”
Only God can truly know and heal the heart.
Tim Keller wrote, “You don’t really know who you are until you see yourself through God’s eyes — sinful yet loved, broken yet redeemed.”
That’s the beauty of grace: God doesn’t search our hearts to condemn us, but to cleanse us.
The Surgeon’s Knife
Imagine a skilled surgeon who discovers a tumour. You wouldn’t want him to leave it there because it’s uncomfortable to remove. No — the loving thing is to cut it out.
When God searches your heart, He may uncover things you’d rather ignore — bitterness, pride, lust, unbelief — but He reveals them not to harm you, but to heal you.
Jesus is the Great Physician, and His Word is the scalpel that pierces soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12).
3. “Test Me and Know My Anxious Thoughts”
David continues, “Test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
The word test — ba?an (??????) — means to examine for purity, as metal is tested in fire.
In other words, David is saying, “Lord, put me in the furnace if it will refine me.”
When trials come, they reveal what we really trust in.
1 Peter 1:6–7 (NLT) says: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.”
Sometimes our anxious thoughts reveal where we’ve stopped trusting God. Anxiety often points to misplaced confidence.
Max Lucado wrote, “The presence of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is optional.”
When we invite God to test our anxious thoughts, we are really inviting Him to replace fear with faith.
The Refiner’s Fire
In ancient times, a silversmith would heat silver until the impurities rose to the surface. He would skim them away again and again — until he could see his reflection in the molten metal.
That’s what God does in our lives. He tests us until His image is reflected in us.
4. “Point Out Anything in Me That Offends You”
This is perhaps the most dangerous line of the prayer.
The phrase “offends you” literally means “anything that leads me on a path of pain.” In Hebrew, it’s the word ?o?e? (?????) — connected to sorrow, grief, or idolatry.
David is saying, “Show me the sin that breaks Your heart, Lord, and the sin that will destroy me.”
Sin always offends God because it always opposes His holiness.
Isaiah 59:2 (NLT) says: “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.”
But here is the Gospel — the Good News:
Jesus Christ came to bridge the gap.
Romans 5:8 (NLT): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
The cross exposes how serious sin is — and how deep God’s love runs.
John Piper said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him — and that means turning from every sin that promises joy apart from Him.”
If we want revival in our hearts, we must first allow God to reveal the sin within our hearts.
5. “Lead Me Along the Path of Everlasting Life”
David doesn’t end in despair — he ends in direction. He says, “Lead me.”
The Hebrew word na?â (?????) means to guide, to shepherd, to direct along a safe path.
When God searches us, it is never to leave us broken; it is to lead us closer to Christ.
John 14:6 (NLT): “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’”
The path of everlasting life is not a moral checklist — it’s a Person. It’s Jesus Himself.
He is the path, the truth, the life — the One who bore our sins, died our death, and rose to give us new life.
The Gospel Call:
Let me speak plainly. You cannot pray “Search me, O God” if you are still hiding from Him.
But the good news is — He already knows you. Every sin, every failure, every secret — yet He still offers grace through Jesus Christ.
On the cross, Jesus took the punishment our sin deserved. He died, was buried, and on the third day He rose again — proving that sin and death were defeated.
When you repent — when you turn from sin and trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour — you are forgiven, cleansed, and made new.
A Call to Action:
Believer, this prayer must become our daily rhythm:
Search me — expose what’s hidden.
Test me — refine what’s impure.
Lead me — guide me in truth.
Let’s not settle for superficial Christianity. Let’s invite deep transformation by the Holy Spirit.
As R.T. Kendall said, “The anointing of the Spirit is not given for our enjoyment but for our empowerment — and He fills only what is emptied of self.”
If we want revival in our generation, it must begin with repentance in our hearts.
Closing Exhortation:
So today, will you let God search you?
Will you dare to pray this dangerous, holy, life-changing prayer?
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
If you will, you’ll find that the One who searches your heart also heals it, forgives it, and fills it with His Spirit.
Benediction:
May the Lord who knows you completely search you thoroughly, cleanse you deeply, and lead you daily in the way everlasting.
May you walk in the light of His grace, the truth of His Word, and the power of His Spirit — until that glorious day when faith becomes sight and we see Jesus face to face.
Amen.
