458_A life marked by a living faith Psalm 26 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. 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. A few years ago, a well-known sculptor was asked how he carved such a lifelike image of a lion from a block of marble. He smiled and replied, “I just remove everything that doesn't look like a lion.” It was such a simple but revealing answer to what seemed a complex task. He could already see the shape of the lion in the marble. The real art was in taking away anything that didn’t belong. As God’s people, God does not want us to wear a mask of virtue or perform or become something that is alien to us. Rather, he wants to shape us, removing all that does not look like Christ in us. Such a life is one of integrity, marked by constant surrender. A life marked by living faith is one that says, “Search me, O God… see if there is any wicked way in me.” Thus, Psalm 26 offers a window into David’s heart. Not just the man who slew Goliath or ruled Israel, but a man who walked with God constantly and in secret. A man who longed for his life, both inside and out, to reflect faith in a living, holy God. The psalm begins “Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” David’s confidence here is not in his perfection of morals or life. All he has to boast of is that his heart is perfect towards God. He has never desired any other God. He has never wanted anything of life that God is not pleased to give him. His trust in God has been consistent and sincere. Most of us shrink at the thought of being fully known—our thoughts, motives, secret desires exposed before God. But not David, who says in verse 2: “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.” All he longs for is the approval of God on