Confidence Through Obedience

Psalm 26 is an interesting psalm of David. In my bible the heading for the psalm is “A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption”. In this psalm David is confidently asking God to scrutinize his thoughts and his actions. David is confident that God will find that David is a man of integrity and obedience. Read what he writes here in verses 1-5: Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. 2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. 3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. 4  I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. 5 I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked. Do you see the confidence in David’s words? Almost an arrogance but I’m not willing to go that far because there is no indictment of David’s attitude here. Can you and I have this kind of confidence in how we live our lives? Can we ask God to “examine us and to try our minds and hearts?” Yes, we can. We too can have this same level of confidence through obedience. Remember, you don’t earn God’s love through obedience but you do gain confidence in your love for God and others through obedience. Sin is slippery and leads us to always wonder when things are going to go wrong. Obedience leads to confidence. Obey what God is leading you to do or be in your life. Then the final words of David in this psalm can be your words as well: My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the Lord. Wow!