This is part 6 of a 6-part series. View the entire series here.
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. Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
Several years ago, I was in a women’s small group. Whenever it was someone’s birthday, we’d go out to dinner and everyone would say something they loved about the birthday girl. It was a little uncomfortable at first—both being the one to give such a direct compliment to someone’s face, and being the one to receive all the compliments—but it quickly became one of our favorite traditions as a group.
One year, I told the birthday girl that she was the warmest person I’d ever met. I remember how shocked she seemed at that description, like she’d never once thought of herself that way. To me, it’s what stood out the most about her—she was friendly to everyone, she exuded empathy and kindness, she never broke eye contact when you were talking to her. But for whatever reason, she had a hard time seeing it in herself.
In fact, no matter what the compliment was, almost every single time, the common refrain from the compliment-receiver was I wouldn’t have said that about myself, or I’ve never thought of myself that way.
Most of the time, it’s hard for a lot of us to see ourselves very clearly. We’re either overly self-critical, noticing only our own flaws, or we have too high a view of ourselves and start to believe we’re better than others. Or, if we’re being brutally honest, some paradoxical combination of both. That’s why, every once in a while, it’s helpful to have the people who know us best—people who we’ve walked through life with, who’ve seen us work and play and interact with others—tell us who we are according to what they observe.
But even more importantly, we need God to tell us who we are. Because He knows us better than any human being ever will. He knows us better than we’ll ever be able to know ourselves.
To end this beautiful poem, David asks God to search him, to know his heart. David knew he wasn’t capable of knowing the depths of himself, all the worries and fears and anxieties and sinful patterns buried deeper in his heart than he’d ever be able to plumb—and neither are we. We need our Maker to tell us the whole truth of who we are. He shows us our weak places, and, in His great love, invites us to surrender them to Him so that He can do His redeeming work in our hearts, our minds, and our bodies.
But know that when you ask God to search your heart, He may reveal a sin you weren’t aware of, or bring to mind someone you need to forgive, or call you to a new place. And once you know it, you’re accountable to it. Your job is to respond to what He reveals and obey what He commands you do about it. A friend of mine once jokingly said, “Don’t ask God to refine you in the fire, because you can be sure He’ll do it.”
The bad news is that this is not always an easy or comfortable process. There may be significant and painful pruning involved. John 15:2 says, “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit…”
The good news is that there’s a promise on the other side of the pain: “...and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (John 15:2 NLT, emphasis added).
Pruning is necessary for the continued production of fruit, both in your earthly lifetime and your eternal one. When David asks God to “lead [him] along the path of everlasting life,” this is what he’s talking about. He wants to live in such a way here on earth that it would lead him to everlasting life with God, who knows him and loves him with perfect, unshakable love.
God knew you before time began. Every hair on your head is numbered (Luke 12:7). Everlasting life with your Creator and Sustainer is available to you. And He wants to be with you forever. So give God your honest and humble heart. Hold nothing back, trusting that He will redeem and restore every single part of it.
He sees all of you and loves you still.



