Honest self-examination is the first step back to God.
“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”Lamentations 3:40 (KJV)
What does “Examine” mean in Lamentations 3:40?
The verse uses two verbs, search and try, that describe careful inspection. It ends with an invitation to turn again to the LORD.
Going deeper
Lamentations is a book of grief, written after Jerusalem fell. In the middle of sorrow, the writer proposes a practical step: let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Notice the plural. The writer says us, not you. Examining our lives is something a community can do together, humbly, without pointing fingers. It begins with looking honestly at where we have drifted, and it ends with a turn toward God, not a spiral of blame.
A helpful way to do this is to set aside fifteen quiet minutes and ask a few gentle questions. Where am I distant from God? Where have I hurt someone? What am I avoiding? Write down what you notice, and then pray over it. You are not gathering evidence against yourself. You are clearing the way to turn again. Take the last phrase to heart: the aim of examination is always return.
Reflect
Where might you be distant from God, and what would it look like to turn again this week?
Pray
Lord, help me to look honestly at my ways, and give me the courage to turn again to You. Lead me back with kindness. In Jesus' name, amen.
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