23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked (hurtful) way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV)
Some translations of this verse uses “hurtful” instead of wicked. I think we must read this scripture in both ways. There are ways we have that may seem only hurtful, but in truth if they are sinful then they are truly probably wicked.
This is where a softening of the language can, in my opinion, keep us from searching ourselves deeply enough. Hurtful may not seem like it crosses the line of sinfulness. We are simply not doing something in the best way. But if it is that we are not doing what God clearly wants us to do, then it is wicked and sinful, we are not showing obedience.
I think, in my own life, this has shown up mostly when I let my anxieties get the best of me. In obedience to God I need to know that He will guide my path and make the way straight. Anxiety comes in when I think that it is I who need to “make things happen.” My faith wavers and I become anxious, this is not God’s plan for our lives. Many times He tells us that he knows every hair on our head and will see us through. It is not that we then do nothing, but that we move with purpose and seek His will and guidance.
Reflect on: How you may stray from hurtful to wicked in your obedience to the Lord.
