March 8: Psalm 26

Today's reading.   

I read this a couple months ago, and I was struck by 26:3: "For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness." I wrote myself a note there that said, "only Jesus could have prayed this." Now, on another reading of it, I'm not so sure.

The thing is, I think Jesus could have prayed this, but I think we can too.  My natural tendency is to read the Bible in a totally self-centered way, but it is always about God first and only later about me. What does it say? "Your steadfast love," "your faithfulness." The pray-er is looking at God, who he is, and what he has done. The psalmist's work doesn't enter into it. This is about faith.

Why else would he ask the Lord to "redeem me, be gracious to me" (26:11)? If he trusted in his own works, he wouldn't need grace or redemption. So, when he opens by talking about his "integrity" we can  understand that that integrity comes because he has "trusted in the Lord" (26:1).

Our integrity comes from faith, never in its place. We work because we believe. And though we may not have a stunning track record to point back to, we have all the righteousness we need. Christ is our righteousness! Only he has perfectly done all the good works laid out in this Psalm. By faith we wash our hands in innocence in his redeeming blood (26:6).

By faith we walk in our integrity (26:11). Its name is Jesus.