Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart: Psalm 139

“Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23 ESV). Psalm 139 consists of praise and prayer to God expressed by David. It begins by showing the infinite knowledge of God. One of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture, Psalm 139 continuously reassures us that God is everywhere and cannot be escaped.

Through this prayer, David encourages us to have these same heartfelt conversations with God. It truly emphasizes the importance of prayer and communication with the Lord. His presence is with us right now, and He wants us to talk to Him and to know that He is always listening.

We should memorize and apply this psalm to our lives. Through this Scripture, God reassures us that He is always by our side and knows our concerns. If we memorize and apply this to our lives, we remind ourselves to confide in the Lord and trust in Him.

Verses 1–6 reveal to us that God is all-knowing and we are intimately known.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” (v. 1). David knows that the true God cares enough to know every one of us.

“You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether” (vv. 3–4). The Lord knows us in perfect detail.

Verses 7–10 can be described as David’s reflection of the Lord’s infinite knowledge.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (vv. 7–10). Those verses express God’s omniscience. Let’s not let shame drive us to hide from the Lord our God. He made a way for us, through Jesus’ sacrifice, so that we don’t need to hide from Him. Instead of hiding, may we come to the Lord, confess our sins, and repent.

In verse 14, David praised God for His act of creation. David understood that God had created us in a way that was both wonderful and unique from the ways He created everything else.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (v. 14). As Christians, we must stand out in this worldly society. We must live in a way that continues to glorify and praise God. That is why He created us.

Psalm 139 emphasizes that the Lord is reassuring us, that He is always by our side, and that He knows our concerns. Therefore, we are never alone.

In verses 23 and 24, David seeks the Lord. These verses are important and we can apply them to our daily lives. David wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” David was aware that he wasn’t perfect. We sin because we are of flesh.

Only God Almighty has the power to search our hearts. For this reason, David asked the Lord to search his heart and know his thoughts. God knows us in perfect detail. God knows our true thoughts and desires even when we do not fully understand them.

As we read before, David asks God, “And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (v.24). This is a demonstration of David asking for guidance to live in the way that God wishes for us to live. That is why this psalm of David is so important for us to remember, and come back to often, so that we may keep that closeness with God through prayer and worship.