Psalm 26:1-3 English Standard Version

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. 3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,  and I walk in your faithfulness.

The idea of my integrity is performance according to self-imposed standards. As we have stated in previous posts, faithfulness is only achievable by Christ in us, He is our faithfulness.

Imagine that Jesus walks in faithfulness and we follow Jesus. Our effort is in how we walk and if we feel we are following Jesus successfully, that feels like integrity. Feeling is in the mind which is flesh and is capable of deceiving ourselves. 

One of the signs of self-inflated opinion is the overuse of the word I. If we look to the purpose of this psalm we can look to the very first words, vindicate me.

Vindicate in this sense is to ask God to render a just judgment of our performance. It is based in part on insecurity. Do I trust the Lord as much as I think I do? Do I love God as much as I think I do? God do I please you?

Psalm 104:34 English Standard Version (ESV) May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

We can be insecure in comparison to so great a love that God has poured into our lives. He has done and continues to do so much for us that our efforts pale in comparison. We can often feel like we need to do more for our Lord. Guilt is the wrong motivation for obedience of faith, love is the right motivation.