Psalm Friday

Psalm Friday

Walk in His Way

Psalm 26

* Pray. Ask God to give you an open heart and mind to learn new truths from His Word. Read Psalm 26 through three times. Record any thoughts or questions you have in your journal. If a verse stands out to you, write it on an index card and begin committing it to memory.

Psalm Friday is back! Woo-hoo! It's been a while but we are up and going again, digging into the Psalms every Friday. If you're new to By His Grace, you may not be familiar with what Psalm Friday is all about. I would encourage you to take a few minutes and click on the "Psalm Friday" tab in the navigation bar at the top of the page; there you will find an introduction and a list of all the Psalms we have studied through thus far. Well, with further ado, let's get to diggin'- shall we?







I have to admit to you that I've had an extremely hard time with Psalm 26. I have been reading it over and over and over for weeks, probably even months, then walking away with nothing; thinking, "Lord, I'm just not getting it." Ever have those times? As I sat down yesterday morning to try to pull something together because I knew that I would be re-launching Psalm Friday today, it happened. It was as though a light switch had been turned on and the Lord began speaking. THANK. YOU. JESUS!!!







Today I'm not going to give you a lot of "extra" stuff. I just want to pose some questions to you that the Lord brought to my mind as I read Psalm 26.

"Examine me, O LORD, and try me; test
my mind and my heart."

Psalm 26:2, NASB

What would God find if He were to examine your mind and heart? Would He find thoughts that are pure, true, honorable, right, lovely, of good repute (respectful of others), excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8)? Would He find a heart that is loyal to Him (Deuteronomy 6:5)?

"For Your lovingkindness is before my
eyes, and I have walked in Your truth."

Psalm 26:3, NASB

"Lovingkindness" comes from the Hebrew word chesed which means "beauty". The beauty of the Lord should be ever before our eyes and we should be walking in the paths of His Truth (Psalm 86:11; Psalm 119:105).





What kinds of things are you putting before your eyes?
~inappropriate TV shows, movies, soap operas, talk shows?
~inappropriate websites?
~inappropriate magazines and other literature?
~pornography?







Are you walking in the Truth of God's Word and believing you are who He says you are? Are you being obedient to the commands contained within His Word? Are you walking in the path God has set before you or are you charting your own course?

"I do not sit with deceitful men, nor
will I go with pretenders."

Psalm 26:4, NASB

Have you surrounded yourself with those who are daily striving to live lives that bring honor and glory to God? Are your friends honest and trustworthy? Do your friends give godly counsel? Do they encourage you in your walk with the Lord? Or, do those you find yourself most often with, want nothing to do with a live that pleases God or that is surrendered completely to Him?

"I hate the assembly of the evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked."

Psalm 26:5, NASB

Again, are those you are with the most, living lives contrary to the Word of God or according to His commands?

"I shall wash my hands in innocence,
and I will go about Your altar, O LORD, that I may proclaim with the voice of
thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders."

Psalm 26:6 & 7, NASB

Are you spending time before the Lord, daily, confessing and repenting, asking Him to cleanse your heart of the evilness contained within? We will not experience intimate fellowship with God if there is unconfessed sin in our lives.







Are you privately and publicly giving God praise for all that He is done in your life? Are you
sharing with those you meet how awesome your God is?

"O LORD, I love the habitation of Your
house and the place where Your glory dwells."

Psalm 26:8, NASB

David is specifically speaking of the temple- God's dwelling place- where he would go to worship. Later on in Scripture David says that he would rather dwell in the house of the Lord for only one day than anywhere else for a thousand years.







Let's take this verse to a different level- David was talking about the structural temple, the actual building where he could go to worship the Lord. He loved the temple of the Lord and it grieved his heart when it was being defiled.







1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" Your body, my body is the temple of God. At the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit took us residence in you making your heart God's dwelling place (Jeremiah 31:31-34).







Ok, so here's my question- do you love yourself? Do you love and accept who God has made you to be? Or do you look in the mirror every morning and hate the reflection looking back at you because you have some extra fluff around your waistline? Is your life's passion to be that "perfect size 2" so you binge and purge or exercise excessively?







Maybe it's not so much your appearance that bothers you- maybe it's the fact that Sister Sue has a long list of accomplishments following her name and well, the only thing that follows your first name is your last name. So, you put on a facade for everyone trying to be someone you are not instead of being exactly who God created you to be.

"Do not take my soul away along with
sinners, nor my life with men of bloodshed, in whose hands is a wicked scheme,
and whose right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I shall walk in my
integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on a level place; in
the congregation I shall bless the LORD."

Psalm 26:9-11, NASB

David desired to be found different than the world around him. He wanted his life to be one of righteousness before the Lord. When all was said and done he wanted to be found faithful to his God. David knew that the only way for this to happen was for him to daily walk down God's path and to firmly set his feet upon the solid Rock.







The level place where our foot stands is the sure, covenant faithfulness of the Eternal, Almighty God who loves us. It is a place that is immovable and indestructible because it has been established by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

"Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone,
a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him

will not be disappointed;
the stone was Christ."

1 Peter 2:6, 1 Corinthians 10:4, NASB

Precious Lord, the Rock upon which we stand- guide us today down your path. Lead us in Your way. May we delight today to do Your will. Amen.

As you can see we are having some spacing issues this morning- so sorry! Hopefully I will be able to fix them later (I have tried fours times already). All of you who know my OCD self know that this is driving me CRAZY!!! :)