Psalm 26:7 – “That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.”
The word “that” here is used to show the reason for the verses that came before it. David asked the Lord to do a few things in the first verses of this chapter:
- Verse 1 – “Judge me” (to examine and pass sentence on”)
- Verse 2 – “Examine me” (to inspect carefully with a view to discover truth)
- Verse 2 – “Prove me” (to make certain, to show)
- Verse 2 – “Try my reins and my heart” (to search carefully the seat of affections and passions)
The Psalmist asks the Lord to thoroughly and throughly examine and inspect his heart so that he could properly testify of the things God had done for him.
In order to make known to others our gratitude for the wondrous works of God in our lives, our heart needs to be right with Him.
If my husband is habitually hateful, adulterous and demeaning, and abandons the vows he made to me, yet he goes around bragging about what an incredible wife I am, his words mean nothing to me! They would be deeply offensive and I’d be wounded by them.
God doesn’t want our thanks if our heart is not in it. He wants our hearts first, then our thanks.
Let’s stop the hypocritical “praise and worship” lifestyle until the style of our life is actually one of obedience and gratitude to our great God and Saviour.
When we’ve repented of known sin, turned our hearts back to our Lord, and followed Him in obedience, our testimony of thanksgiving will have a genuine ring of love and adoration that the world will recognize. Then their hearts will turn to our God too.
Obtaining Mercy 