The Searcher of Hearts (Rom. 8:27)

This sermon was preached on 25/2/2010


Paul here, in referring to God’s activity in searching the heart, is imitating other biblical writers.

David, the godly king of Israel, advised his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9: ‘And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.’

The psalmists in Psalm 44 use this activity of God as an argument in prayer. In that psalm, the sad state of spiritual life in Israel is described. But the writer(s) know that they are different from those who are departing from the ways of God and they appeal to his searching of hearts as evidence of their loyalty in verses 20-21: ‘If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.’

In Psalm 139, David begins by mentioning how the Lord has searched him throughout his life. David has rejoiced over the Lord’s intricate and amazing formation of David in his mother’s womb, of the Lord’s subsequent care of him throughout his life, and of God’s continual presence. He finds this relationship to the Lord to be a precious experience and therefore he prays that the Lord would continue to search him. Although God has been so good to him, David is aware that he is a sinner and needs God’s help in dealing with his sin. So he prays in verses 23 and24: ‘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!’

In the early life of David, there is an example of God’s knowledge of human hearts. When Samuel was sent to the family of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint a replacement king instead of Saul. he was impressed by the physical prowess of Jesse’s older sons. But he, although a prophet, had to be corrected by the Lord: ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7).

This concept of searching is not only used of the manner in which God relates to individual humans. For example, Jesus in Revelation 2:23 says: ‘And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.’ In addition to this description being evidence for the deity of the Son, it is also a reminder that he searches and judges local congregations of his people. In the vision of Jesus given in Revelation One, he is depicted as having ‘eyes of fire’, eyes that see everything in a penetrating manner.

In 1 Corinthians 2:10 Paul writes that ‘the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God’. In that passage, Paul is referring to the things of God that he has revealed to us by his Spirit. Yet the phrase he uses also points to an intra-Trinity activity in which the Spirit searches permanently and fully all that is in God. Something similar is said of the Son in Matthew 11:27: ‘All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’ And in John 10:14-15 Jesus says, ‘I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.’ In these verses, we are given an insight into the inner life of the Trinity in which they explore, with great mutual delight and satisfaction, the depths of God’s being and purposes.

This activity of God is a combination of two of his incommunicable attributes (features and capabilities that only God can possess), that is, his omnipresence and his omniscience. He does not search each heart sequentially but simultaneously, and he searches every heart fully and is not ignorant of any details.

Realities of the search by the Father
These attributes are possessed by each person of the Trinity. So a question that needs to be asked is, Which person is Paul referring to? The verse itself indicates that Paul is not referring to the Spirit when he distinguishes between the Searcher and the mind of the Spirit. So that leaves the choice to be between the Father and the Son. Given that the context refers primarily to our communion with the Father, it is likely that it is the Father who is searching the hearts of his children.

This is a wonderful picture of God when he is described as a searcher. Every Christian can say that God sought for him before he became a Christian. Jesus told the woman of Samaria that the heavenly Father sought such as her to worship him. This was why he sent his Son, to seek and to save that which was lost. That pre-conversion search was a seeking for us, whereas the post-conversion search is a seeking in us.

Paul’s words also remind us that this search is a continuous one by the Father. There is not a moment when he is not searching our hearts. This is a reminder of the commitment of God to his people. Every day that I live, every moment that I breathe, the heavenly Father is searching my heart. It is not only a reminder of his commitment, it is also a description of his concerns. Every Christian should say this to himself every day, ‘What will be my heavenly Father’s concern today?’ And the answer each can give is, ‘Me.’

In what ways does the Father search our hearts? First, he is searching for blemishes that he can heal. There is a picture of this activity of God in Malachi 4 where the prophet likens God to a metalworker who is purifying the sons of Levi of their dross. The metalworker did not start the task and then leave it and begin another one. No, he focused himself intently on the piece of metal he was purifying, and the Father never takes his eye of his child during the period of chastisement. The metalworker kept going until the flaw was removed, and he knew this was the case when he could see his face reflected in the metal. God will stop the chastisement when he sees a godly response in our souls.

In a similar manner, the heavenly Father searches our hearts for wounds that he can heal. The Father is like a heavenly doctor, coming to apply to our inner lives the heavenly balm. He knows that we are going through a difficult world in which there are many enemies. The world, the flesh and the devil adversely affect our souls and we need restoration and recovery. Often we tend to limit this aspect of God to Jesus. For example, which of the divine persons do we think about when we read Psalm 23? In all likelihood, we will think of Jesus. But the psalm is also about God the Father. He desires to refresh us from the heavenly springs, to pour into our souls the restorative activities of his grace. He is not like a human doctor who may not know immediately what treatment to give. The Father applies to our wounded souls the great promises of the Bible. These promises may contain words of encouragement to continue in the pilgrim pathway, that his treatment is the only medicine that will bring about restoration. They may be promises of his presence in times of trouble, that he will always be there with his medicine when we are next wounded in the valley. They may reminders of heaven at the end of the journey, when he assures us that he will provide complete and perfect health

Third, he searches our hearts looking for signs of love to himself and to the Son and to the Spirit. The Father comes to our souls as the Eternal Lover wanting to show his love again and again. Our past failings and our present weaknesses do not prevent him reappearing and saying, ‘My child, I love you more than words can say.’ He longs to hear us say, in the words of the psalmist, ‘I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy’ (Ps. 116:1).

What is the sign of love? The main sign is obedience. Jesus reminded his disciples that if they loved him they would keep his commands. The Father comes to our hearts looking for heart obedience. He wants to see that we obey him out of love.

Fourth, the heavenly Father searches our hearts for our desires. This is the immediate context of Paul’s reference here, that the Father listens to the intercession of the Spirit which is made because we are ignorant of how to pray as we ought. The Father has sent the Spirit into our hearts in order for the Spirit to take our weak, ignorant prayers and change them into requests according to the will of God. The Father and the Spirit have fellowship in listening to and responding to the prayers of believers. The Spirit prays according to the will of God, that is, he prays accurately, and the Father hears and gives according to his promise. This is a wonderful reality about the prayer life of Christians, that their wordless groanings are read with delight by the Father and given answers far above what they can ask or imagine.

I would venture to say that nothing happens to a believers which is not a result of the intercession of the Spirit. We are familiar with that reality in connection to the intercession of Christ, which is a permanent one. This must also be true of the intercession of the Spirit, because his ministry also continues throughout our lives.

Response to the searching God
As we reflect on the marvellous fact that the heavenly Father searches our hearts, what features should mark our response. I will mention three that I think are appropriate.

First, we should be marked by humility. There are many reasons why we should be humble such as the example of Christ or the greatness of salvation. The fact that he is searching our hearts is an additional reason for humility.

Second, we should be marked by honesty. We can hide nothing from God. He is searching our hearts at every moment; he is scanning our hearts before we sin, as we sin, and after we sin. Honesty should cause us to confess our sins to the seeking God. We should also be honest about the quality of our Christian lives. This works both ways in a sense. On the one hand, it is not right for a Christian who desires the Lord’s presence to give the impression that he does by what he says in his public prayers. That is a sin as well as being false humility. On the other hand, it is not right for a Christian to give the impression that he desires great things when he does not. God is searching our hearts. He knows.

Third, we should be marked by hopefulness. The God who is searching my heart has come as the purifier, the doctor, the lover and the listener. Omnipotent as he is, he has not come to crush us but to bless us.

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