Psalms 139:17-24: in context

This psalm, which marvels at how completely God knows the psalmist, ends with a bold prayer. Having reflected on God's searching knowledge of him, the psalmist invites that searching in: Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Rather than shrinking from God's knowledge of his hidden depths, he asks God to examine him fully, to expose any sin, and to lead him in the right way.

The prayer is remarkable for its humility. The psalmist does not assume his own righteousness or ask God to affirm how good he is. He asks God to search him, to examine his heart and thoughts, to see if there is any wicked way in him. He knows that his heart holds depths he cannot fully see himself, sins that may be hidden even from his own awareness, and rather than presuming himself clean, he invites God to search out what he cannot see, to expose it, and to lead him in the right way. It is the prayer of one who wants to be truly known and truly corrected, not merely to feel good about himself. This is a searching prayer to pray, and a humbling one. Our instinct is often the opposite: to assume our own good intentions, to justify ourselves, to shrink from too close an examination of our hearts lest we find something we would rather not see. We can be quite sure of our own righteousness, blind to the wicked ways that may be hidden within us. The psalmist's prayer cuts against this. It asks God, who knows us better than we know ourselves, to search us, to expose the sin we cannot see, to reveal the hidden wickedness we would otherwise justify or overlook. The heart is deceitful above all things, Jeremiah says; who can know it? I the LORD search the heart. We cannot fully know our own hearts; but God can, and this prayer invites his searching. There is trust in this as well as humility. To ask God to search us and expose our hidden sin is to trust that his examination is not to condemn but to correct, not to crush but to lead us in the everlasting way. The psalmist does not merely ask to be searched but to be led aright, trusting that God exposes our sin in order to heal and guide us. This calls us to pray this searching prayer rather than presuming our own righteousness. Are we willing to ask God to search us, to know our hearts, to expose the wicked ways hidden even from ourselves, and to lead us in the right way? It is a humbling prayer, but a healing one, inviting the God who knows us fully to reveal and correct what we cannot see in ourselves. Search me, O God, and know my heart; see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Do I presume my own righteousness, assuming my good intentions and shrinking from too close an examination of my heart, or can I pray with the psalmist, search me, O God, and know my heart; see if there is any wicked way in me, inviting the God who knows me better than I know myself to expose the sin hidden even from my own awareness, and trusting that he searches me not to condemn but to lead me in the everlasting way?