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Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered. Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. (Psalm 26:1-3)

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This Psalm\u2014like any number of others\u2014gives us pause.\xa0 Who of us would dare say such a thing to God?\xa0

But while it might seem strange in ordinary times, there are situations that crop up in our lives like a tragic death, a betrayal in a close relationship, or the cancer word where it\u2019s not.\xa0 In those situations, we might quite naturally find ourselves crying out to God, asking what it is that we have done to deserve such pain and suffering being thrust into our lives.\xa0 It is a way of praying in the vein of Psalm 26.

There are some events and realities in our lives that are bigger than us\u2014out of our control.\xa0 Perhaps more of them than we might think\u2014or like\u2014to list.\xa0 And when we realize our lack of control, we realize that we have need of God.\xa0 A God who can save us.\xa0 Or, in unfair or unjust situations: a God who can judge rightly and vindicate us\u2014which is salvation all the same.

This psalm is a prayer prayed in the face of an evil world that dishes out things that we do not deserve and cannot solve on our own strength.\xa0 And this is a psalm that does what it says: that relies on God fully and solely for vindication and salvation.\xa0

It strikes me more often these days that this is exactly the life that Jesus lived.\xa0 Even though he had all the power and ability to control on his side, he did not wield it against his oppressors\u2014the Sanhedrin and Romans that condemned and crucified him.\xa0 He could have saved himself, but he did not.\xa0 He could have vindicated himself, but he did not.\xa0 Instead, he gave up his power and control, humbled himself, and submitted himself to the just judgement of God the Father.\xa0 And God the Father did vindicate him, by raising him from the dead on the third day, proving Jesus\u2019 innocence and righteousness in the process.

This is the Jesus that we trust in: the Jesus whose life, righteousness, and vindication have become our own.\xa0 And as we continue to rely on his vindication and salvation, we remain connected with the reality of things\u2014the reality that our situation is bigger than us such that we need God, that our life is a gift of God, and that the invitation of our living is to respond in congruence with the righteousness of Christ that we have received from God.\xa0

We cannot control the events or realities that we face in this world, but we can entrust ourselves to the God who in Christ has saved us and who continues to save us.\xa0

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