Psalms 6, 36, 66, 96, and 126 made up this morning’s readings.
Two lines from Psalm 36 are going to stick in my mind all day.
There is no fear of God before his eyes,
For he flatters himself in his own eyes
That his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
Oh Lord, let this not be me!
I don’t want to be a man with no fear of you in my eyes.
And I don’t want to be so foolish that I flatter myself in my own eyes.
Please, Lord, let this not be me.
The guy described here is arrogant and ignorant.
He is deluded by his own folly.
This guy suffers from the ignorance of the arrogant.
And that is bad stuff.
If he were ignorant and humble, there would be hope for him.
But since his ignorance and foolishness is locked up and guarded by his self-absorbed arrogance, he seems to be beyond hope.
Oh Lord, protect me from doing that to myself.
Oh continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
And your righteousness to the upright of heart.
Oh Lord, let this be me!
Give me an upright heart, an honest heart that admits its faults and does not flatter itself.
Then Lord, because you are the God of steadfast love, sustain my heart by continued experiences of your love.
Let me be a man who knows you in an ever deepening relationship.
May that relationship be founded on your righteousness and sustained by your steadfast love.
And may it give me the upright heart that belongs to those who know you.