Search Me, O God

James Edwin Orr was born in Belfast in 1912. When he was just 18 he started preaching; when we was 21 he felt God wanted him to be an itinerant evangelist. Despite scepticism and discouragement from family and friends, he went to London, preached throughout the British Isles and then preached throughout Europe.

In 1935 he sailed to America, preaching first in Canada and then in the US. In 1936 he preached in New Zealand where great numbers of students professed faith in Christ. As he was leaving New Zealand, four girls sang him a beautiful Māori song of farewell.

Orr was so impressed with the beauty of the melody that soon afterward he wrote new words to the tune on the back of an envelope. Further campaigns throughout Australia in the 1930s and later in most of the English-speaking world, soon popularized this hymn

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Saviour, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfil Thy word and make me pure within;
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

I’ve been reflecting on the words of Psalm 139 throughout this last week. It concludes: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’

These words were the starting point for Orr’s hymn. I sung it as a child; I’ve been reminded of it and have been singing it all week. It’s been personally challenging…

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival, start the work in me;
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

‘Search me, O God,’ is just the start of the process. This hymn is a very personal prayer, Having searched me, I pray that God will cleanse me and then fill me with His loving Spirit. I hand over my independent will, and invite God to revive, and transform my self-centred, proud self.

This is not a gentle, moderate, inoffensive prayer; it’s not about me enjoying a relaxing, easy retirement. It’s about a willing desire to submit whole-heartedly to God’s work in  and plan for my life, whatever the personal cost. So this morning I pray, ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…’ And mean it.