James H. Cagle
Guest Columnist
“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:40 KJV).
The prophet Jeremiah had been telling Israel that her ways were wrong and that she needed to repent and turn back to the Lord, or judgment would fall. Israel did not repent and return to the Lord, and judgment came from the Babylonians as Jerusalem was destroyed and they were led away captive.
After the destruction of Jerusalem and the people being led captive, Jeremiah again calls on the people to examine themselves and repent and turn back to the Lord. It was too late to save Jerusalem and escape captivity, but it wasn’t too late to get right with God.
When we conduct a self-examination, we “search and try our ways.” We take a good look at the way we have been thinking, speaking and behaving. We compare what we have been thinking, speaking and behaving with the way God’s Word says we should be thinking, speaking and behaving. If our ways are not according to God’s ways, we repent, return to the Lord, and start thinking, speaking, and behaving as He commands us to.
The Psalmist wrote, “I thought on my ways.” That means he conducted a self-examination. When he saw that his ways were not in line with God’s Word, he repented and got his life in line with God’s Word— “And turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments” (Psalm 119:59, 60).
As a result of the Psalmist’s self-examination and repentance, he experienced revival and restored fellowship with God. Revival is the fruit of repentance, and repentance is the result of self-examination or should be. The church could have a revival if it would repent. But there’s not much chance of her repenting if there’s no self-examination. And there’s not much chance of self-examination if we don’t do it ourselves or have some spirit-filled preacher point out our sins.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray (the prayer of repentance), and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV).