David prays in Psalm 139:23-24: “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.” David deeply embraces the truth that He is known and loved by God. Who better to search his heart, than the God who knows David better than he knows himself. God, who knitted him in his mother’s womb (v 13); God, who has ordained every day of his life (v 16); and God whose thoughts toward David are precious and more numerous than the grains of sand (v17-18). God can be trusted with David’s heart and we can trust God with ours.
Living in a broken, fallen world can be a challenge; and we are still a work in progress. It is possible in the day to day to sin without intention; yet in Leviticus we see that God still required a sacrifice for unintentional sin. Today, we glory in the truth that Jesus Christ paid for our sins, past, present and future, intentional and unintentional; yet a confession of sin assures us that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness ( 1 John 1:9). There is no wrath to fear, because Christ took every sin upon Himself when He went to the cross; so we could enjoy a relationship with God. And when we confess, it is because we cherish first and foremost our intimate relationship with God; desiring a pure heart before Him. We do not want any sin; intentional or unintentional to cause us to distance ourselves from His love. Like David, we can confidently pray for God to search us and reveal our sin, because nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:38).
Margy Hill