He Who Examines the Heart. (Prayer).

/ stevekinnard

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Romans 8:27. He Who Searches the Heart also knows the mindset of the Spirit that he intercedes for the saints according to God’s will.

God is He Who Searches the Heart. Another word for “search” is “examine.” God is He Who Examines the Heart. What a beautiful title for God. Loving parents wants to know what’s inside the heart of their children. Especially when a child is having a tough time. God is that type of loving parent. He longs to know what is in our hearts.

The word for “search” is ἐραυνάω, eraunao. It can also be translated as “examine” or “investigate.” It carries with it a tone of intense or thorough examination. N. T. Wright notes,

“The word ‘searcher’ comes from a root which suggests someone lighting a torch and going slowly round a large, dark room full of all sorts of things, looking for something in particular. Or perhaps he is searching in the dark, by listening. What is he wanting to find, and what happens when he finds it?”[1]

God wants to know our hearts, so he has given us the Holy Spirit who goes to the Father for us at times when we don’t have the vocabulary.

God doesn’t want us to pray with flashy words or perfect phrases. He doesn’t want our prayers to be long-winded and verbose. Mostly, what he wants from us in prayer is our hearts. That’s it. He wants “us.” He wants “us” warts and all. So, when we pray, let’s surrender our hearts to God in prayer. And when we don’t have the words, that’s okay. The Holy Spirit partners with us in prayer to go to the Father with groans and signs that we can’t put into words. William Barclay adds this sentiment, “In the last analysis, the perfect prayer is simply: ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. Not my will, but yours be done.’”[2] Amen to that!

[1] Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: Romans Part 1: Chapters 1-8 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 154.

[2] William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans, 3rd ed. fully rev. & updated, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 132.