DEVOTIONAL ON PSALM 26:6-7

Miller Park Zoo, Bloomington, IL

"I will wash my hands in innocence;

So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,

And tell of all Your wondrous works.

Psalm 26:6-7, New King James Version.

Do you get excited about proclaiming with a voice of thanksgiving? I do. There is something exhilarating to have a heart full of gratitude to God especially, and likewise to others as well. Same thing with telling of God's wondrous works, from the beauty of His creation to His transformational work in our lives.

Of course, it's hard to do if there isn't thanksgiving in your heart to start. Likewise, we don't often proclaim God's wondrous works because we're looking for other things and/or are not recognizing His works when we see them.

Another reason we're not thankful and proclaiming God's works is dealt with in the first six verses of Psalm 26. Maybe we're not trusting in the Lord. Perhaps we're not asking Him to test our hearts. It could be that we're comfortable (or at best not uncomfortable) with the ungodly. And then, we may not be confessing our sins and seeking inner purity.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather be proclaiming with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all of God's wondrous works.

Lord, thank you for all Your wonderful works. Grant us a heart that seeks things to be thankful, and a spirit overflowing that we want to share what you've done in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
 

SUNDAY PSALMS PART 7 OF 48 - PSALM 27

Christmas "plate" - A Thomas Kinkade painting with lights in the windows.

1  The LORD is my light and my salvation;
    Whom shall I fear?
    The LORD is the strength of my life;
    Of whom shall I be afraid?
2  When the wicked came against me
    To eat up my flesh,
    My enemies and foes,
    They stumbled and fell.
3  Though an army may encamp against me,
    My heart shall not fear;
    Though war should rise against me,
    In this I will be confident.

4  One thing I have desired of the LORD,
    That will I seek:
    That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
    All the days of my life,
    To behold the beauty of the LORD,
    And to inquire in His temple.
5  For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;
    In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;
    He shall set me high upon a rock.
6  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
    Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
    I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7  Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
    Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8  When You said, "Seek My face,"
    My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
9  Do not hide Your face from me;
    Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
    You have been my help;
    Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
    Then the LORD will take care of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,
    And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
    For false witnesses have risen against me,
    And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
    That I would see the goodness of the LORD
    In the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD;
    Be of good courage,
    And He shall strengthen your heart;
    Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 27:1-14, New King James Version

 This is a popular Psalm, for good reason; it's one of my favorites. And the last two verses have been a reflection of my heart for decades. But let me make one point on this.

From the first verse on, it's full of the Psalmist's confidence. But when I read the whole Psalm, I don't see that confidence being consistent. In verse 7, David's asking God to hear him and be merciful to him. Two verses later, and there's requests for God not to hide His faee, turn him away in His anger, or leave or forsake him.

This reflects the Christian life. There are times I have a head full of knowledge that God will keep me yet my heart doesn't have assurance. But we need to remember that God has promised to deliver us; we need to bring our experience and emotions in line with Scripture, not the other way around.

Permit me to close this blog with a pair of housekeeping items for this series.

1. WHAT  YOU  MAY HAVE NOTICED. I have been going in order for the Psalms, with the first half dozen being 1, 4, 11, 12, 18:22-28, and 20. And part 7 is ... 27? Did I skip a particular, highly popular Psalm that's half way (more or less) between 20 and 27? Good eye, but it's not skipped or ignored. I'm saving it for later in this 48 part series.
2. WHAT I  HAVE NOTICED. I have been using Bible Study Tools and copied the Psalm, as opposed to typing out the whole Psalm. It took working on over half a dozen of this series to realize something: The Bible Study tools do not capitalize "Lord." Let me explain. There are three Hebrew words referring to God: Elohim, translated "God;" Adonai, translated "Lord;" and Yahweh, God's personal name, which the Jews won't say because the name is too holy, and many English translations will translate as LORD (all caps) or, when used with Adonai, as GOD. Well, when I'm using that set-up, then you can't tell when the text reads Yahweh. 😭