Father God,
“I will sing of your love and justice”. It was great to be at church on Sunday Father, to sing praises to you with my brothers and sisters, to have the whole band back and to see everyone looking refreshed and tanned from summer holidays. Note to self – take a proper summer holiday next year. Camp does not count. September is the start of a new year, a new beginning. It’s easy to sing praises to you at times like this. Thank you for loving us.
“I will be careful to lead a blameless life”. Well Father, I think I would prefer to say, ‘I try’. ‘Blameless’ is a very high standard to be asked to hit. And a blameless heart?! It’s one thing to convince other people I am blameless; I’m not bad at putting up a good front. But to have a blameless heart?
And I don’t think I should promise to “set before my eyes no vile thing”. I’ve not kept that promise before. I would love to promise not to do it again. But you and I both know that in all likelihood I will be weak again at some point. I don’t want to make you promises I won’t keep.
But I can hate “the deeds of faithless men”, no problem. I’m good at spotting wrong stuff other people do. Like my ‘friend’ who has still not flippin’ responded to my whatsapp message four days later. It’s just selfish. Please change my friend’s heart, God.
Father, having nothing to do with evil, or with people who do it, silencing slanderers, not enduring pride and haughtiness - these all sound like great aspirations. I would love to be able to pray this psalm. But I really can’t say much of this to you with a straight face.
Frankly Father, this psalmist was either completely up himself or completely perfect.
…
Actually.
…
There might be something in that.
“My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he whose walk is blameless
will minister to me.”
What if this psalm, a psalm of David, of God’s anointed king, is being prayed by Jesus? You look at the land, your land, searching for faithful people Father, and you see me. Because I am trusting in Jesus. I am in Him. I will get to dwell with you. I get to look, and be, blameless.
I am not the person who practises deceit. I am not the person who speaks falsely. Because you have stooped down to raise me up, I can stand in your presence.
And you have promised that one day Jesus is coming back again, and the wicked will be put to silence, cut off, once and for all.
Father, church on a Sunday morning at the beginning of September is like a little picture, a sketch, a doodle, of the city of the LORD in the coming ages. Thank you that Jesus can pray Psalm 101 with a straight face. And thank you that your work to change me, us, to be like Jesus, and to change the world to be as you intend it, is just getting started.
Amen.
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