Have you prepared for the test?

February 5, 2009

Have you prepared for the test?

Psalm 26

Teralynn Swank

Central Truth

It takes humility and courage to invite God to examine and test us, but how important it is for our growth and maturity!

Examine me, O Lord, and test me! Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives! (Psalm 26:2)

I Will Bless the LORD

Of David.

1 Vindicate me, O LORD,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
    test my heart and my mind.^{1

26:2
Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart}
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.

4 I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.

8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

Footnotes

[1] 26:2 Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart

Before having kids, I had lofty ideas about how I would be shaping the next generation. I thought I would be passing on my wisdom, advising against my mistakes, and reaping the benefits as I saw my children grow. Now I look at it with a different viewpoint. I think God gives us children to shape us.

So often my daughter gives me insight into my own heart. I hear my sarcastic words coming out of her mouth. Ouch. After rebuking her for being disrespectful, I find myself being disrespectful with my words only a few minutes later. I am challenged to be patient when my kids are trying to do something by themselves. I had prided myself in not having anger issues, yet find myself getting angry over a small offense. I have to ask forgiveness for raising my voice. I know God doesn't have to count to 10 to avoid saying something He regrets, but I wonder if He is waiting patiently for me to fail at my attempt to "do it by myself" before I turn it over to Him. Through my children, I see things I never knew about myself.

Asking God to "examine" me and "test" me sounds like the scariest thing I could ever do. I do not want to be tested. What if I fail? What if my faults become public knowledge? "Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives!" I don't want it to be known what a truly selfish person I really am, yet God is asking me to do that very thing.

Thank you, God, for showing me my true thoughts and motives and how I need to change my attitude to be more like Christ. May what I'm learning today make me respond as You would want next time. Help me to be a person of integrity as David exemplified. Amen.

1. What reveals your true motives (job, spouse, sibling, child, co-worker, neighbor, illness, responsibilities, etc.)?

2. In David's poem to God he says he maintains a "pure lifestyle" (verse 6). Do you live a pure lifestyle? Is there anything in your life God has been urging you to bring to the light?

3. Is there anything that you are trying to do all by yourself that you should be asking for help from God or those close to you?