Psalm 51:6, “Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts…”
Those words are addressed by the psalmist David to the Lord in Psalm 51. What is it that God really looks for in our lives? First and foremost, it is not the external practices of religion — not necessarily churchgoing or other religious acts. God looks deeper than that. He looks right down into the innermost parts of the heart. The parts that aren’t visible to others. In fact, the Bible tells us that God does not see as man sees because man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. He looks at our motives and our thoughts.
There’s nothing that we can hide from God. He knows us so much better than we know ourselves. While it’s easy for us to wear a mask and just show the parts of us that we want people to see, we cannot do that with God. Psalm 139:1-2 says, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.” God made us, and so He has personal knowledge of us. He knows all our thoughts, postures, gestures and practices. God knows our words before we speak them. He is “acquainted with all our ways.”
The fact that God knows us so well, our thoughts, and motives; this truth should affect how we go about doing things. We should keep the motives of our heart in check. Remember that though man cannot see the heart, God can. We should always aim to ensure that our motives and thoughts are right before Him. Chadwick Morgan said these profound words, “My actions will not hide my motives, which are their root. So in doing, saying, and thinking; I should with the Holy Spirit, examine my actions so that my factual speech doesn’t end up being deceitful. It is not to seem honest, it is not to seem humble, and it is not to seem serving in any way. It is to ensure that at a heart level I am seeking to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and strength, and then my neighbour as myself.” Then and only then will the truth be found in the innermost most parts of our heart.
“My actions will not hide my motives, which are their root. So in doing, saying, and thinking; I should with the Holy Spirit, examine my actions so that my factual speech doesn’t end up being deceitful. It is not to seem honest, it is not to seem humble, and it is not to seem serving in any way. It is to ensure that at a heart level I am seeking to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and strength, and then my neighbour as myself.”
Chadwick Morgan
It is here that each of us needs to examine himself: Am I truly open with God? Am I transparent in my relationship with Him? Do the words I speak really express what I feel in my heart? Are my motives pure towards others?
We know that nothing can be hidden from God, so instead of hiding and pretending, how about we ask the Lord to make our heart like His? He desires truth in our innermost parts, and on our own, we cannot accomplish that. As we already know, the human heart is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). May we all surrender to Him so that He can examine and sanctify our innermost parts.
May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart be acceptable in the sight of the LORD, our strength and our Redeemer.
Angelisa is a Jesus enthusiast, Worship leader & Christian youth leader. She considers herself to be the old-fashioned type of girl who loves spicy food and belly bottom laughter. Among her passions are singing, working with children, and encouraging others.