Scripture Reading(s)
Psalm 17:1-7, 15
17:1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
17:2 From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.
17:3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.
17:4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
17:5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
17:6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.
17:7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
17:15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Reflections
One of the many things that characterize Christians is being blameless. What that essentially means then is doing your part to keep yourself accountable to your actions in any given situation that could potentially lead you to doing something wrong. However, this is not often a desire or a prayer that we seek to have and more so, ask for God to examine our hearts of.
This Psalm a prayer that speaks to God examining our hearts of any wrong or sin that is keeping us from living a life that is honoring to HIm. There are moments in the Christian life that we need to examine to see if our hearts are truly on fire for living for God. Throughout the course of our lives, there have probably been many circumstances that may have caused us to fall away from our devotion to Christ.
We life in a world that is filled with reason after reason for us to be worried, anxious, and distracted. There is always something that can easily divert our attention off God and onto the temporary that is happening in front of us. Sometimes there are things that actually do need our focus like kids, work, house chores and prior commitments. The whole point of this Psalm is that we include God in the midst of all these things and not allow for our focus to be taken off of the one who is able to direct, lead and guide is in all things.
[Featured image by Rembrandt, titled “Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee”]