Today is July 11.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
  
Today’s reading is from Psalm 26.  
 

      Vindicate me, LORD,  
         for I have led a blameless life;  
         I have trusted in the LORD  
         and have not faltered.  
      Test me, LORD, and try me,  
         examine my heart and my mind;  
      for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love  
         and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.  
  

When I first hear this text, I’m astonished by the psalmists self-assuredness: “I have led a blameless life; I have not faltered…” I’m even more astonished when I recall the life of the psalmist, the shepherd king David… slayer of giants, man of courage, and also adulterer and betrayer. How do you hold all of that together? As you come to prayer today, do you yourself feel like a mix of self-assuredness alongside the reality of your own shortcomings?  
  
As you listen to the psalm against, consider this: David was actually less self-assured than he was GOD-assured. He’s assured in God as vindicator, God as trustworthy, God as unfailing, and God as faithful. Try to listen with an emphasis on who GOD is, and not who David is.  
  
To live in reliance on the faithfulness of God is to be very assured of two things: first, that you are in desperate need of God. Second, that God is unfailingly faithful. Which do you feel more aware of right now. As we come to the end of our prayer, bring that awareness to the Lord and invite Him to be present to you.  
 
Music: Your Love Endures - Vineyard Worship: YOUR LOVE ENDURES [Official Lyric Video] | Vineyard Worship feat. Samuel Lane