Psalm 26
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides.
Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
those in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
In their commentary on this Psalm Richard A Puckett writes,
"Calvin and Luther claimed that even though it sounds as if the author is prideful,
the self-confidence of the psalmist actually reflects trust in God's righteousness
and the willingness to walk in the steadfast love of God."
This is a helpful lens for me to read this Psalm through otherwise I find myself
thinking, "Who does this person think they are? None of us are blameless, we are
all hypocrites." Their righteousness does not come from themselves and neither
does ours. This walk that we are on, this walk of discipleship ,will require us to ask
deep questions, to examine ourselves, to love deeply, and to trust in God's unfailing
love. We do this, with God's help.
The hymn Come Thou Fount is one of my all time favourites and that theme of
God's faithfulness to us is a central theme.
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
I found the version of this hymn from the final night of Triennium, may it be our
prayer today.