Proverbs 20:27, “The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man, it searches out his inmost being.”

Years ago when our boys were little, we had some of David and Daniel’s friends over for a cookout. The oldest of the boys was probably around 10 and the youngest 6. While I was preparing hotdogs and Connie fixing drinks and plates, the kids decided to have a game of hide-and-seek. There were 8 little boys running around trying to find the perfect hiding spot and one little boy counting. I glanced up from my grill and saw the back of one running into the nearby woods. I didn’t think much of it until 20 minutes later when 7 returned with the seeker, exhausted and concerned. The one who had run into the woods had not been found.

I quickly called Connie. Night had fallen faster than we had anticipated. We grabbed the flashlights, and Connie turned on our outside searchlights. The boys were to stay around the house and look for the missing friend. I went into the woods. Because we didn’t have cell phones, I instructed her to call the sheriff if I wasn’t back in 20 minutes.

As I walked through the familiar forest floor, I thought of God. He is our searchlight, delving into our spirits and finding what is good in us and what we need to change. Every hidden motive. Every self-serving thought. All the imperfections, God sees and if we allow Him, exposes for us the way to make our hearts right. He also knows the tender parts of us. He understands our compassion and desires. He evaluates the choices we make and applauds that which is like Him.

Within a few moments I stumbled upon the wayward boy. He looked up at me, “Hey Pastor! Did I win?”

“You sure did! Now, let’s go eat!” I answered, taking him by the hand.

Ask God today to be your searchlight. Ask Him to scan your body from head-to-toe. I want to know what He finds that I need to change, don’t you? There is no place to hide apart from God. There is no action He doesn’t see. There is nowhere we can go to escape His searchlight.