Attend To My Cry!
OCTOBER 18, 2026
SCRIPTURE COLLECTION
Today's Scripture Passage
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right! You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Psalm 17:1-6
Related Scriptures:
Psalm 139:1-4
Psalm 26:1-2
Job 31:5-6
James 3:9-10
1 John 3:20-21
Notes & Reflections
It is God who is far above man; it is man who is far below God.
In Isaiah we hear these words:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
Indeed, our ways have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6) and none are found righteous (Romans 3:10–12). God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely more holy and vast. He knows everything. He knows what we do, say, and think.
We could never trick him or commit something which he would know nothing about. This is frightening because we know for certain how far we have fallen from his righteous standard (Hebrews 4:13).
When we read a prayer like Psalm 17, it feels uncomfortable. How can a man claim innocence with such certainty? He can claim it, even in his own fallen state, because he knows his God. He knows that, even with a sinner asking for what is right to be done, his God will make the best choice. He himself will not dare to take a matter into his own hands, though he finds himself blameless.
In whatever situation he has found himself, he knows that what he is telling God is the truth. This is an important lesson in prayer: though we ourselves are sinful, we can understand and know the truth. We may not be innocent in every matter, but this doesn’t mean that in every matter we must have guilt.
Jonathan Edwards once said:
“God hath made us capable of making a wise choice for ourselves, as to the life we shall choose to lead. He hath given man so much understanding, as to make him capable of determining which is best; to lead a life of self-denial, and enjoy eternal happiness, or to take our swing in sinful enjoyments, and burn in hell for ever. The question is of no difficult determination. —It is so far from being a matter too hard for our reason, that the reason of a child is sufficient to determine this matter. Therefore men in remaining undetermined in these matters, do not act as reasonable creatures, but make themselves like ‘the horse and the mule, which have no understanding,’ Psalm 32:9.” [Pastoral Sermons Edwards, 338.]
The Psalmist was no mule. He avoided the evil ways of the men around him. He knew and loved the law of God. He tried to find what was pleasing to the Lord. He was a sagacious man. But he also knew that he could never push against the word of God as it flowed through his heart and mind.
He says:
“You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress” (Psalm 17:3).
This is his defense.
In a way, he’s saying, “Your law agrees with me, you have pressed my heart, and I am not guilty. If I were, I would know it because you would have shown me.”
Many men and women bring their requests to God, yet they tell a story that doesn’t align with the truth. They come before God with hatred toward their brother and expect God to come to their rescue. Indeed, this is what it means to transgress with one’s mouth.
What if the word of God weighed down on them and tested them? Could their conscience honestly agree with their self-proclaimed innocence?
This is a great lesson and one that must be considered in times of prayer.
Can we say with Paul:
“I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me” (1 Corinthians 4:4).
Can we have a great deal of confidence as we come before God that he will indeed see our case and come to the same conclusion as we do? If God were to find a flaw in our story, would this be a surprise to us or would we shrink back in shame?
The Psalmist was bold in his request to God because he knew his God and he stood in the truth. Indeed, we have a more revealed truth. We have a surer foundation. We can be bold in our request like the Psalmist was, because of what we have through Christ. We can be candid before our God because of the grace we have through Christ, who has brought justification and forgiveness through the cross. We can turn from evil and fight against temptation because of the Spirit that is now at work in us.
Indeed, if the Psalmist could appeal to God through his innocence, how much more can we appeal to God through Christ’s innocence?
How great a gift we have that our sins are forgiven, that we have peace with God, and that God has cleared the guilty (Romans 4:5).
Throw your cause at your Savior’s feet today, not with transgression on your lips or lies in your heart, not with a story that will conflict with your conscience, but with boldness in Christ and through a just cause.
How can a sinner honestly pray, “You will find nothing” in me?
The Psalmist is never claiming to be sinless, but right. If you read Psalm 51, it would be obvious that David knew that he was a sinner. David was being chased by Saul for no good reason and David wanted his integrity to be vindicated. For the Christian we ask with a clear conscience in a given situation and also through the imputed righteousness of Christ.
Study Questions
QUESTION 01
How can a sinner claim innocence before God?
QUESTION 02
What does it mean for your mouth not to transgress in prayer?
QUESTION 03
Why can a Christian come to God boldly?
How To Cling Today
Cling to Christ today by coming to him in prayer with assurance that he hears you because of what he has done for you.
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