Psalm 26 Devotional

Integrity Leaning on Mercy

“For Your loving devotion is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.”Psalm 26:3 (BSB)

In Psalm 26, David asks the LORD to judge his case. He has walked with integrity and trusted without wavering, and he invites God to test his heart and mind (26:1-2). He has kept away from deceivers and the gatherings of evildoers (26:4-5). He washes his hands in innocence to approach the altar with thanksgiving, and he loves the house where God's glory dwells (26:6-8).

This can sound like boasting, but look at what stands at the center of his integrity. God's loving devotion is before his eyes, and he walks in God's truth (26:3). His faithfulness is a response to God's faithfulness, not a replacement for it. And even after all his claims, his prayer near the end is for redemption and mercy (26:11). A person who sincerely walks with God still needs to be redeemed. You can pursue a clean life with all your heart and still lean every day on God's mercy. In fact, the second is what makes the first possible.

To think about: What would it look like to keep God's steadfast love before your eyes as you make choices today?