HE IS FAITHFUL
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Opening Prayer
As I worship you today, Lord, I praise you for your faithfulness and unfailing love.
Read PSALM 26
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Psalm
Psalm 26
1 Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
2 Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;
3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites;
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 I lead a blameless life; deliver me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.
Reflect
‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father’.1
A quick read through this psalm may leave us feeling that the writer is so confident in his blamelessness that there cannot be much encouragement here for us (vv. 1—3)! Let’s dig deeper. We discover that his cry for vindication is based not on his own efforts, but on his reliance on the Lord’s faithfulness (v. 3). He throws himself totally on God’s unfailing love (v. 3) and expresses his commitment to living God’s way, trusting in him. Notice the assumption of covenantal promise, weaving through these verses: God is faithful; with God’s help, I will be faithful.
Not everyone shares the psalmist’s trust in God or longs to live his way. In our world, we see deceit, hypocrisy, evil, and wickedness, but we are to turn deliberately from these ways of living (vv. 4, 5). Before we come to worship today—as the psalmist does—let us bring our whole selves to God, acknowledging our need for his cleansing (v. 6). Today, if any doubts persist, remember Jesus, who has died for our sins and has risen to life.2
Perhaps, at the beginning of the psalm, the writer imagines himself approaching the temple; then, in verses 8—12, he is standing in the temple. As we stand today with God’s people, let us take time to rejoice in being with those amongst whom the Lord’s glory dwells (v. 8). In the security of God’s presence, the psalmist prays for deliverance from the penalty of wickedness (vv. 9, 10). His words return to his thoughts at the beginning of the psalm: I am committed to living your way, Lord. I can trust only in your mercy (v. 11). So, like the psalmist, as we trust in God’s faithfulness, we find ourselves standing on ‘level ground,’ ready to worship him (v. 12).
Apply
Ask God to show you if there are areas in your life where you need to trust him more for his unfailing love and faithfulness.
Closing prayer
Lord God, thank you for your faithfulness to me. Today, help me to praise you and tell others of your ‘wonderful deeds’ (v. 7).
1 ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’, Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923 2 Rom 4:24, 25.
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