Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24
This summer we have started what we call “room inspections.” Every day, I go into my children’s rooms and check off whether or not they have picked up all of their laundry and toys and also make sure their beds are made. Sometimes I give them a warning of whether or not I am coming to inspect their rooms, and sometimes I do not. As I walk into each room, I first look under the bed to see if I can find anything that should not be there. Usually, I find Legos under the boys’ beds, and I usually find shoes or candy wrappers under my daughter’s bed. After this, I look under their dressers to see what may be hiding there. This tends to be an area that they always forget to clean. I then check each closet to make sure every piece of clothing is hung up as it should be. After these areas are checked, I make sure the beds are made to my liking and ensure that nothing is out of order.
Before all of this happens, when I announce, “Room inspections in 10 minutes,” my three children hurry to their rooms! One may say, “Mom! That’s not enough time. I still have laundry to fold!” I can sense the worry that they experience. My children know that if they clean their rooms and do daily chores, they are rewarded, sometimes in ice cream or with a little spending money. As mom, I can tell if they do a half-hearted job—just to get by—or if they really tried their best at doing a good job.
I wonder if sometimes we as Christians forget about our “room inspections” and neglect our daily clean up in our own lives. When the Lord announces, “Room inspections in 10 minutes,” do we panic and say, “But Lord, I have to clean this up before You see my room!”? Do we say, “Lord, I have not prayed today,” or “I have not read my Bible,” or “I have not confessed this sin.”? Do we try to do a half-hearted job in our own hearts and think, “Well, that’s good enough. I can get by with just reading one verse a day.”? Maybe we try to hide something that should not be there. I am afraid that we find ourselves saying these things too often.
The Psalmist David said, “Lord, search me! Search my heart.” He was not hiding anything from God. He did not tell God, “Hey, just look over here in this spot! That’s clean!” No! He opened up his heart willingly for the Lord to examine it.
As Christians, let us be willing every day to say as David said, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let us invite the Lord to inspect our hearts today. Let us allow Him to show us where we need to clean up in our lives so we can be used of Him!
by Mandy Harper
