Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
CONTEXT
Israel’s King David was guilty of adultery and murder. He had been hiding his sin in his heart, but God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him about what he had done (2 Samuel 12). David was broken and in humility he cried out to God for forgiveness. This prayer of confession became a song and is recorded in Psalm 51.
Bible Reading
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
– Psalm 51:1-10
Devotion
David’s prayer of repentance did not begin with the gravity of his failure; it began with a statement about God and His abundant mercy. At his lowest point, David remembered the graciousness of God. In his brokenness, he fell on God’s mercy.
The last verse of this psalm is an excellent example of what repentance is about: Repentance is not just rejecting sin, but also embracing righteousness. David’s confession was a petition for God to set is heart right – David wanted God’s will to be written on his heart.
The Big Question
Have you failed and been unwilling to bring your failure before God? Some people won’t repent because of fear of God’s retribution. Some just refuse to surrender their desires to the work of God. Don’t allow anything to prevent you from confessing your sin to God today. He wants to restore you from the inside out!