“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” [PSALM 139:23–24 NRSV]
God wants to deal with sin itself, not simply get it erased. Once we have sinned it is over; nothing can change what has happened, no matter how bad we feel. What is important is that we work on what caused the sin so we do not do it again. How sad God must be when he hears us say, “I am sorry,” but then we fail to let him heal us. We are forgiven long before we repent. Experiencing that forgiveness, however, requires that we repent. Because I have been forgiven, because I have been accepted, because God loves me, I am free to walk in holiness. Repentance does not mean that we make some resolution to be morally perfect by tomorrow. Resolutions are mostly a matter of willpower, and they seldom have a positive, lasting effect. I have found that it is better to pray than to make resolutions. In our prayers we can let God examine us.
Like the psalmist, pray that God will search your heart and help you understand its depths so any unconfessed sin can be revealed and repented of, and your heart changed.
Lord, search me and know my heart, test and know my thoughts; expose any wicked ways in me and lead me to walk in everlasting life. Amen. [Faith that Matters]
