It’s a sanctification song. A song that aspires to holiness. David’s desire for personal holiness. And, David’s determination to do everything he can do to promote holiness within his kingdom. It’s a song born of a longing to model steadfast love and justice (v.1).

So, it’s a song of holy determination. Eight times David declares “I will.” I will walk with integrity of heart. I will know nothing of evil. I will look with favor on the faithful. And, I will destroy the slanderer. I will not endure the proud and arrogant. I will get rid of the wicked. The songwriter avows a holy determination to be holy and declares a holy determination to remove everything from his kingdom that is not.

While I know that these words will come back to haunt David later in his life; though I know that apart from God re-wiring the heart of man, no matter how determined the will of man may be, holiness is not something we can achieve solely through our own determination; I find myself inspired by the songwriters desire. Why wouldn’t we want to be singing a song of sanctification?

And it’s one of David’s “I will“s in particular that caught my eye and has got me thinking this morning.

I will ponder the way that is blameless.   (Psalm 101:2a ESV)

Seems to me, we’re a generation that runs the risk of doing life on autopilot. Just like so much of our driving today, we’re prone to open up some app, type in some destination or desired outcome, and, turn by turn, mindlessly follow whatever directions come from our electronic device.

Might work just fine for traveling along the highways and byways, but maybe not so much for navigating our way through life. Just as, through our reliance on our phones, we’re prone to losing our sense of direction, or of becoming unable to any longer remember anyone’s phone number, so too, life on autopilot has a way of dulling our senses as to what life, and life to the full, can be, and should be, all about.

So, I’m thinking David is on to something when he determines to “pay attention to the way of integrity” (HSCB).

Probably makes sense, from time to time, to pull over to the side of the road and take a look around. To think about where we’re going. To give careful consideration as to how we’re getting there. To turn off the external GPS’s and instead listen for the still, quite voice within us saying “This is the way, walk in it” (Isa. 30:21).

Makes sense to take a breath every once in a while and make time to evaluate the road we’re on. Not mapping it to the latest downloaded version of worldly wisdom or the ways that seem right to a man, but to line up where we’re going, and how we’re going, by things above; according to the code of the kingdom; in line with the word of God.

Ponder. Not a word I hear used a lot today. Not something, I’m thinking, we make time for much today. Too busy going wherever, however, according to whatever GPS is barking out directions.

Might be a good idea to turn off our autopilot once in awhile and ponder the way.

By His grace. For His glory.