“Search Me!”: The Importance of Self-Examination

Search me

See my heart

Do I truly love You, Jesus

You who know all things

And judge my life

Nothing is hidden from You   

Perhaps the snippet of song lyrics above sounds familiar to our ears. Easily and lightly, we can sing a song with such extraordinary lyrics. But have we ourselves, as the words of that song say, ever asked God to search our hearts? Let us study this word more deeply.

Search Me

The song above was inspired by the Psalm of David, written in Psalm 139:23-24, which says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts; see whether my way is crooked, and lead me in the everlasting way!”

That verse is also the closing verse of Psalm 139, titled, “A Prayer Before the All-Knowing God.” If we read Psalm 139 in full, we are invited to grasp that God knows everything about us. And that we cannot hide from His presence. 

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. LORD, You have searched me and known me; 

You know when I sit down or stand up; You understand my thoughts from afar. You examine me when I walk and when I lie down; all my ways are familiar to You. Even before my tongue speaks a word, behold, You already know it all, O LORD. You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too high for me to attain. –  Psalm 139:1-6 

The psalmist realized that God is all-knowing; He even understands us better than we understand ourselves. Therefore, the psalmist, David, asked God to search his heart. Surely if David, a man who was called, “A man after God’s own heart” asked God to search his heart, then this is something important. The question is, why? 

Why did David ask God to search his heart? And why do we also need to do it? Let us look at the reasons. 

The Importance of Examining Ourselves

1. Search Me: Am I Still on the Right Path?

One source says that we need a medical check up at least once a year, for people over 18 years old. For those who are dealing with or have a history of certain illnesses, or are over 40 years old, a medical check up can even be done more than once a year. 

But why do we need to do it regularly? 

Have you ever heard of someone who suddenly had heart disease and then died? Even though, as far as that person knew, he was healthy. There are also people who, after having a medical check up, discover that they are suffering from a disease that is already severe, such as advanced-stage cancer. Why is the disease only detected when it is already serious? 

Hearing this, of course we say, “If only that person had known about the disease earlier. Maybe it could have been treated more easily and the hope of survival would have been higher.” Things like this can certainly be prevented if we regularly have a medical check up. If cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or sugar levels rise even a little, we already know. So we can take preventive action. But if we never have a medical check up, how would we know that something is happening inside us?

That is also why we need to examine ourselves and ask God to help us to “search me.” Perhaps without realizing it, our motivation for following God begins to change. The zeal that once burned brightly begins to dim. We begin to compromise with worldly values that are not in line with God’s word. Without a spiritual check up, we do not realize that we have actually drifted, too far away from God. And it is not impossible that by the time we realize it, we will have to pay the price for those actions. 

David asked God to search his heart because David knew that his heart and thoughts could change or drift away from God. When we examine our hearts, it means we are doing a spiritual check up. We can detect the condition of our hearts as early as possible. Are we still living according to God’s will? Or have we been carried away by the current of the world? 

By knowing sooner, we can also deal with it sooner. Is it not better to prevent than to cure?

2. Search Me: For Our Salvation and That of Others

Watch yourself and your teaching. Persevere in them, because by doing so you will save both yourself and all who hear you. – 1 Tim 4:16

Whether we realize it or not, everyone is an influencer. Our lives have at least some influence on others. What we say can motivate people or make others feel down. We can inspire or become a stumbling block to others. Whether we realize it or not, our lives are observed and even imitated by others. 

So, one reason we need to examine ourselves is because this is important for our salvation and the salvation of others. Without it, perhaps we have already drifted away. No longer believing in God, no longer living according to God’s will. As a result, we lose our salvation . 

Then what about other people who live with us? We do not live alone; there is family, friends, and other people whom God has entrusted to us. If we like to gossip, of course we will cause others to gossip too, because surely we cannot gossip alone, can we? If at work we are corrupt, often lie, often come in late, often play games at the office or watch movies, we can lead other people into sin as well. 

Other people may think like this, “How can that person get away with working carelessly like that, coming late, then watching YouTube, and not being responsible for the work?” Over time, others who see us may be influenced and imitate that wrong way of life. Instead of saving others, we end up causing others to fall into sin and lose their salvation. 

So, we need to examine ourselves because this is important for our salvation and for the salvation of others as well. 

How Do We Examine Ourselves?

1. Read God’s Word and Pray

How can a young person keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. –  Psalm 119:9

All Scripture inspired by God is indeed useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting behavior and for training people in righteousness. – 2 Timothy 3:16

How do we examine ourselves? How often do we need to do it? We need to do it every day through our quiet time. What is meant by quiet time here is not that we simply stay silent and do nothing. Rather, we read the Bible and pray.

Reading God’s word can reveal our faults. In our daily quiet time we allow God to show what is wrong in our lives. We allow God to “search me.” What is wrong, what is still lacking, and what we need to correct. We also need to pray for our hearts as David did. Ask God to show who we really are and what we must do to become better. 

Therefore, do not waste or miss our quiet time every day. Set that time apart, because that is when we do our “search me” or our spiritual check up .

2. Allow Other People to Be Involved in Your Life 

Then David said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David: "The LORD has taken away your sin; you shall not die.  –  2 Samuel 12:13

Human beings have blind spots. There are things they cannot see for themselves. They need the help of others to see both their weaknesses and their strengths. 

The verse in 2 Samuel 12 tells the story of when David was rebuked by the prophet Nathan because he had fallen into sin. He took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, his faithful military commander. And he also planned Uriah’s death by placing him on the front line in battle. If the prophet Nathan had not rebuked him, perhaps David would not have realized that he had fallen so deeply into sin. He also might not have realized that his actions had greatly dishonored God (2 Samuel 12:9).

God is good. He places “prophets Nathan” around us to be a third eye, a fourth eye, or even more for us. But are we willing to be helped, rebuked, or advised by supervisors, mentors, parents, or others so that our lives remain right? Are we grateful for their presence? And how do we respond? 

Have we ever asked, “What do you see in me? What things do you think I need to improve?” Allow other people to be involved in your life, so that you can stay “on track” on God’s path. 

Let us not close ourselves off or distance ourselves from them, but rather honor them, because they keep watch over our souls.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who must give an account. In that way they will do it with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no benefit to you. Hebrews 13:17

“Search Me!” is indeed not an easy thing to do. Just like the importance of a medical check up, examining ourselves or this spiritual check up is no less important. Through it we can know whether we are still living on the right path and can guard our salvation and that of others. Let us keep examining ourselves by reading God’s word and praying. And allow other people to be involved in your life, becoming Nathans in your life. Amen. Keep going!

References:

www.halodoc.com/artikel/berapa-kali-medical-check-up-dalam-setahun

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