Psalm 51 New American Standard Bible 1995
A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
51 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And [e]blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create [j]in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew [k]a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will [l]be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;
Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, [m]open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
18 By Your favor do good to Zion;
[n]Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [o]righteous sacrifices,
In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then [p]young bulls will be offered on Your altar.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Our devotional verses today comes from David’s song of confession and prayer after his multiple, grievous sins against Uriah, Bathsheba, and God are placed before him by Nathan – David had tried to be so clever but God misses nothing.
His sins were especially heinous because God had blessed David with an eternal deliverance, and given him the very highest responsibility as Israel’s new King.
We serve a God of powerful transformations.
All throughout Scripture God takes those whom the world deemed the lowest, the hopeless, and the helpless and uses them to change the world.
You are not beyond transformation.
God longs to break off that which inhibits you from experiencing fullness of life.
He longs to heal you, deliver you, and set you free.
As humans burdened and suffering from both our sins and the fallen nature of the world around us, we are in desperate need of relational transformation.
We are in desperate need of help from a God who has the power to not just clean us up on the outside but to transform us at the core of who we are.
But this God doesn’t force transformation on us.
He works when we make space for him to do so.
If we are going to authentically experience the freedom, joy, and purpose that can only come from the inner working of the Holy Spirit, we must be those who seek transformation in our relationship with God, with all our fellow neighbors.
Psalm 51:10-12 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
Here in Psalm 51 David exemplifies the heart of one who seeks transformation.
He models for us a posture of humility that will lead to powerful encounters with God’s transformative love. He doesn’t sit back and merely live with that which plagues him but goes to God with his problems that he might be changed.
David begins as we all should in asking for God to do a mighty work in his heart.
And in this contrite act of asking God to create in him a clean heart, David opens himself up, leaves his throne so to receive the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.
To receive transformation from God we have to come before him humbly and honestly that he might have all time, space, to do the impossible in our lives.
Often we spend a majority of our efforts trying to convince others and ourselves that we don’t need help.
We work tirelessly to build up a façade that we always have it all together.
We do everything we can to maintain a sense of control in our lives—even in regard to our spirituality. But in doing so we place appearances above reality.
We allow that which is destroying us from the inside to persist simply because we are unwilling to acknowledge that we have need.
It’s as if we deliberately tried to cover up an external wound with our jewelry expecting the surface-level beauty of something to contain the power to heal what’s underneath. We don’t need that which covers up. We need the healing that only comes from going with an honest, open heart to the one true Healer.
God’s heart for you and me today is that we would put down our guards, take an honest look at our hearts, and recognize our need for the truest transformation.
He longs for us to take a moment and call out that which is robbing us of the abundant life he so willingly died to give us.
Your God is willing and able to transform you.
That which has plagued you for so long will be healed and broken off your life if you will continually seek transformation from your merciful heavenly Father.
As we come to relive those momentous moments in the Upper Room, in the Garden of Gethsemane, moments of hardcore betrayal, witness the long and brutal march to Golgotha, watch as he is nailed, listen as he tries to speak his final words above the din of laughing mocking witnesses, may you experience some powerful transformation today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.
When we listen to the false witnesses, see Pilate wash his hands, may our life be forever changed as we spend time discovering God’s heart for transformation.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on the importance of seeking transformation.
Allow Psalm 51:10-12 to be your model.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12
2. Take an honest look at your heart.
Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Where do you need transformation?
What lie, habitual sin, perspective, or fear is robbing you of abundant life? What’s chaining you to the backward ways, cares, and burdens of the world?
3. Declare your need for transformation in that area to God.
Psalm 25:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.
A Psalm of David.
25 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
[a]Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they have been [b]from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
According to Your lovingkindness remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
Tell him you need his help.
Ask him to come and do a mighty work in your heart.
Listen to whatever he would speak over you, and trust that he will transform you if you continually seek his help.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
We all have areas in which we need transformation.
We all are in need of God’s help.
Not one of us is perfect.
Proverbs 3:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body
And refreshment to your bones.
Rather than spending all our energy trying to keep up appearances with others, yourself, with God, devote yourself completely to living honestly and humbly.
Stop exhausting yourself doing that which is of no value and seek help.
If you will commit to seeking continual transformation, your efforts will produce life and peace rather than more burden.
May your heart be filled with hope as the Holy Spirit works in your life today.
Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 