Ps 26 - Vindicate Me, O Lord

This week's Psalm project is based on Psalm 26. This week has been challenging in a few ways... I've been feeling some distance from God and in a time where I feel that guidance is crucial. I thought it was depression for the first few days and just hoped for the best. It's been a few weeks now that I've felt this lack of God's presence. 

Over the last two days God has been giving some clarity about the season I'm in. He's used me to lead two Taiwanese to Christ! I also got to lead worship yesterday for a giving time in DTS and saw God bring in over $10,000 USD in 2 hours. I've been searching my heart asking God if this was a sin issue... But God has shown how He is still using me even though I might not 'feel' His presence. 

Now, I'm a pretty emotional person. Some would say I'm a "feeler". Because of this, this lack feeling God's presence is really disconcerting. Thankfully, I had an encounter with an amazing friend last night. He began to share with me exactly what my heart needed to hear. He began to speak of the Dark Night of the Soul. Many in the Christian walk have experienced times in their lives when they experience a lack of God's presence. It is NEVER that He's actually left Him. God promises His presence always. Through these times, they were challenged to live out the truth they know in faith that all they'd experienced before was true and that just because they didn't "feel" God's presence, didn't mean He wasn't there.

I believe this is where I'm at right now. I learned so much last quarter of SBS and feel that this is a challenge for me to act on the truth I've come to know and believe. These first couple of verses in Ps 26 really challenged me to do this. David was able to ask God to vindicate him because he had done what he knew to be right. Man, how I'd love to be able to ask that from God. Here's the catch: David didn't live with God's Holy Spirit in his heart. He didn't know what it felt like to live in God's presence outside of being in God's tent. But he still lived out the truth he knew every day... 

This is an incredible challenge to me and I hope it's encouraging for you, too! You may not feel the presence of God today and, you know what, it might be a sin issue. Search your heart, ask God if there's something between you and Him. If there's not, press into Him all the more and know that His promises are true. He is still with you. Maybe He's testing you, giving you a chance to live out what you know in faith. Like Job, God may be bringing you into a much more intimate place with Him and He's testing your faith. Don't miss out on this opportunity He's giving you to go deeper! :)