A Prayer for Integrity: Psalm 101

A Prayer for Integrity

Psalm 101

To be holy is to be wise.
C. Spurgeon

Psalm 101 is written by David presumably when he is about to become king of Israel. It is his resolution to be a man of integrity. Acting with integrity is a rare quality. Spurgeon says, “What we are at home, that we are indeed.” What we do when no one is looking, when no one will know what we have done or have not done, those are the moments that reveal our integrity or lack thereof. 

Daniel was another man who displayed integrity. When captured and brought to Babylon, the Scripture tells us, “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank” (Daniel‬ ‭1:8‬). Daniel could have made excuses to himself and others about why he could break God’s laws for him as a Jewish man living in exile, but he was resolved to live with integrity. 

In 2 Kings 12, Jehoash had the priests collect money in order to make repairs to the temple. The priests then gave the money to those doing the work, and it says, “And they did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly” (2 Kings‬ ‭12:15‬). Honest, faithful, trustworthy, resolved to do what is right no matter what. This is integrity. 

In this psalm, David makes many bold statements about what he will and will not do. As believers our heart’s desire ought to be to live blamelessly with complete integrity before the Lord. Yet we know only one Man lived with complete integrity and perfection: Jesus Christ. But it is upon His merit and His righteousness that we can boldly approach God’s throne today to plead for Him to make us in practice what we are in position. We are declared righteous in Christ through faith, now we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God is at work in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).

Let’s pray Psalm 101 for ourselves and our loved ones that we would be people of integrity, seeking to please Him in all aspects.

I will walk with integrity of heart

101:1-4 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. 
Let’s pray:
▫️We would ponder the way that is blameless, seeking to understand what it means to walk in a manner worthy of our Lord and Savior (Philippians 1:27). We would immerse ourselves in the perfect, sure Word of God to make us wise (Psalm 19:7). 
▫️We would walk with integrity within our own house. We would evaluate who we are in the secret places and ask God to reveal those areas that we are sinning because we think no one will find out. 
▫️We would reject any hypocrisy in ourselves and seek to be both privately and publicly what God desires for us to be.
▫️We would resolve not to set before our eyes any worthless thing. 
▫️We would be faithful in our work, our service, our relationships, and ______. We would not fall away and thus prove unfaithful. 
▫️We would not have crooked and perverse hearts. We would let Scripture be our guide and help us to walk according to its truth.
▫️We would not be intimately acquainted with evil, but we would be resolved, like Daniel, not to defile ourselves.

I will look with favor on the faithful

101:5-8 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Let’s pray: 
▫️We would not slander others, telling false and damaging things about them. We would not stumble in what we say, controlling our tongues, knowing that we will give an account for every careless word we speak (Matthew 12:36). 
▫️We would not be haughty or arrogant, thinking we are not subject to the law of God. Instead we would put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:13). 
▫️We would be faithful in all we do so that we both honor the Lord and are found trustworthy by others. Whether in work, school, friendships, or family life, we would be so honest and faithful that others would never question our integrity. 
▫️We would follow God’s instructions on how we ought to walk and please Him, seeking to live blamelessly. This striving would not be done to try and earn God’s favor, but because Jesus has already earned our right standing before God.
▫️We would tell the truth at all times. There would be no deceit or lies that come out of our mouths. We would not shade the truth, or manipulate, or deceive in any way. 
▫️We would not walk in the way of the wicked, but our delight would be in the law of the Lord and we would meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). 

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 


Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All right reserved.



Photo credit to will_myers

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