“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, NKJV). This is a bold prayer. David isn’t asking God to confirm what he already believes about himself. He’s inviting an honest search.
That takes real courage. Most of us prefer to examine ourselves on our own terms, noticing the things we’re already comfortable admitting, while quietly avoiding the parts we’d rather not look at.
David asks for something more thorough: search me, try me, show me what’s actually there, even the anxious and wicked parts I haven’t named yet.
This is a good prayer to carry into a new year, not as an exercise in self-criticism, but as an honest invitation for God to lead you somewhere better than where you’d lead yourself.