Daily Devotional • September 3
1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4 I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers
and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell
and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
Meditation
Psalm 26 starts and ends with David declaring, “I have walked in my integrity.” David invites God to test his heart and mind, as he sets himself apart from the “worthless,” “hypocrites,” “evildoers,” and “wicked.” It sounds like David could use a dose of humility and self-awareness. But when we look closer, we see that David is not boasting of his righteousness; he is revealing his deep desire to live in wholeness and faithfulness to God. When David opens his heart and mind to be examined by God, he is not proclaiming his innocence; he is turning his heart towards God in vulnerability and trust. This is not a psalm about what David has done. Rather, it is a psalm about who David longs to be — a man who lives in relationship with God.
The biblical concept of “covenant” sometimes sounds like a treaty between God and nations, handed down through intermediaries. But here, covenant is an intimate relationship that, like a contract, has the personal interaction of offer and acceptance. God offers hesed: a relentless, unwavering, steadfast love that never ends. Our human condition makes it impossible for us to perfectly reciprocate the hesed of God. Thankfully, God in his mercy does not require perfect reciprocity. David accepts God’s invitation to a covenant relationship by simply turning his heart towards God, offering what he can — his trust, faithfulness, (imperfect) obedience, thanksgiving and worship — and accepting God’s freely-given gifts of redemption and grace.
When we accept God’s offer of covenant relationship by turning our hearts towards God, revealing our own humble offerings of faithfulness and trust, we become bound to a divine love and loyalty that is unwavering, transcending all of our failings. The hesed of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning!
Monica Coakley, a graduate of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, provides pastoral care to men on Tennessee’s death row. She lives with her family on a small farm and hoards books and yarn.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Ikwerre – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
Christ Church, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.