Psalm 26
October 6, 2024 Heavenly Father,
Because we know David’s history, his humility before you, we know that the
declarations he makes in this Psalm, claims of integrity and uprightness, are
not vainglorious, not assertions of his own merit, but a confidence in your
mercy; the mercy you had afforded him. He walked daily with an openness
before you which he disclosed when he said elsewhere:
Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.
The sins of David’s youth were always before him, but so was your goodness.
With confidence he allowed himself to be embraced by your steadfast love,
and he walked in the faithfulness of that love; for you loved David, not because
he was good, but because you are good. You gave David a new heart and a
desire to follow you, his redeemer. Your mercy and love prompted him to flee
men of falsehood and the company of evil doers, and instead, he went around
the alter with thanksgiving, shouting out your wondrous deeds. He walked in
this world with integrity—honesty before you and a moral uprightness—and
with an open invitation to you to test his heart and mind, for he trusted you
without wavering.
Father, may we always walk in the truth of your Word. Examine us, reveal our
motives, scan our deeds, prove us and try us, test our hearts and minds, point
out our wicked ways and lead us in the everlasting way. As the world around
us rejects you, may we move closer to you; as it gets darker may we move
more and more into the light. Give us moral courage. Vindicate us, as we walk
with integrity; as we move under the shadow of your steadfast love.
And Father, right now, today, our world is in turmoil. Israel and the Ukraine
are battling aggressors who desire their takeover or annihilation; a diabolical
push for abortion is ravaging millions of pre-born children; we face a high-
stakes election in our own country that promises to bring upheaval no matter
the outcome; a flood of monumental proportion has killed or changed the lives
of millions in the southeast. And this is not the end of it. Give us discernment
in the midst of often confusing choices as we consider how we will react, to
whom we will lend support, how we will use our resources for relief. And may
we say with King Jehoshaphat as Israel faced an overwhelming foreign army
at her door, that though we don’t know what to do, our eyes are on you.
Father, be gracious to us. Our feet stand on level ground in your presence.
We trust you without wavering. We bless you, Lord of all creation.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray
And all the people said,
Amen