Nothing To Hide

Declare me innocent, O LORD,

for I have acted with integrity;

I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me.

Test my motives and my heart.

For I am always aware of your unfailing love,

and I have lived according to your truth. Psalm 26:1-3

IN THIS PSALM, one could mistake David’s confidence for pride as he boldly invited the God who sees and knows all to fully investigate his actions and motives and publicly declare him to be an authentic believer. He claimed to have always had his focus on the steadfast love of God and to have lived day in and day out in line with God’s character and commands. In another claim that could come off as arrogant, David distinguished himself from liars, hypocrites, and those who do evil.

But David was not speaking with pride. If he was driven by confidence in his own record, he wouldn’t have asked God to redeem him. He wouldn’t have asked God to show him mercy. Instead, David closed his psalm by imploring God, “Redeem me and show me mercy. Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the LORD” (Psalm 26:11-12). David knew he could not depend on his own record of integrity to earn favor with God. He stood instead on the solid ground of God’s grace for sinners. Of course he couldn’t grasp this grace as clearly as you and I can on this side of the Cross. He didn’t know exactly how what happened on the altar made his dirty hands clean, but he trusted the Lord without wavering. He lived according to the truth he had been given.

This is the kind of confident faith we long to see flourish in our children. We want the grace of God to become so real to them that they can throw open the windows of their lives, confident they have no need to hide anything from God since all has been dealt with at his altar. We desire to see an increasing congruity between God’s character and their character take shape, an increasing confidence in grace for sinners.

Lord, we long for you to work in ________’s life so that ________ can pray this kind of confident, nothing-to-hide, everything-to-expect prayer to you.