30 Day Journey of Gratitude Day 3

Psa 26:6-8 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. 

This Psalm is believed to be a song written by David as he was preparing to make a sacrifice to The Lord in the midst of a personal attack. In this Psalm, David simultaneously asks God to declare his innocence, affirms his personal integrity, and worships God with a grateful heart.  In verse 6 David washes his hand, which is either a ritual of purification or an act of declaring his innocence. Either way, it was preparations for David to enter the Sanctuary and encompass the altar.  This process of preparation and sanctification allowed David to worship from an unfettered soul.  Without restraint or inhibition, David positions himself to proclaim with a voice of thanksgiving, all the wonderful works of the Lord. 

Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is to be grateful to God when we are being attacked.  We become consumed both with the attack and the attacker.  It is difficult to think about anything else. Gratitude is the farthest thing from our minds.  David, however, shows us how to move from self-absorption to an attitude of gratitude to a heart filled with love for the Lord and his house.

Let's evaluate our actions and involvement in current issues that rob us of gratitude.  Can we wash our hands in innocency so that we can come boldly to the Lord? If we cannot, what things do we need to ask for forgiveness? Is it possible to move from a place of clean hands and a pure heart to the proclamation of God’s goodness from the depths of one's soul?

Gracious and Eternal God help become so attuned to you that I like David can have clean hands and a pure heart that will allow me to proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving all of your wondrous works. In Jesus’ name AMEN