May 31 - Psalms 51-54
Today, we get back to four psalms written by David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Each one is very personal and meaningful, but Psalm 51 is perhaps the most important of these because of David's confession of his sin. I urge you to read it slowly and thoughtfully. I believe it will challenge your soul to treat sin as God would have you treat it.
David begins by throwing himself on the mercy of God and asking God to remember His covenant love toward him, even though he has sinned. He plainly asks God to wash away his sin. He does not try to hide anything. He knows that his sin was a sin against God first and foremost. He knows he was born with a sinful nature, and God is the only one who can wash him completely. God has severely punished him for his sin, and now David is asking Him to create a clean heart and restore the joy of his salvation. He knows that God is not looking for an outward act or a sacrifice, but He is looking for a contrite heart. David is ready to get back to praising God and to being a strong witness for Him, but he knows that he must be cleansed fully first.
After reading Psalm 51, stop and ask God if there are any sins you need to confess and follow this pattern. If you will sincerely confess your sin with a repentant and contrite heart, you will experience a cleansing that is amazing and wonderful. You can't be trusting in yourself or in anything else. If you do, God will just laugh at your confession, as it says in Psalm 52:6,7. You must not be like the fool who says in his heart that there is no God. (53:1) Your heart must be full of faith in God and the realization that you and all people are sinful and in need of God's forgiveness. You must be able to say like David that "God is my Helper."(54:4) He knew that he could not make it on his own. Confession, repentance, and restoration should be a part of our lives on a regular basis. Hopefully, we will grow in the Lord so that we will sin less and less. However, we will never reach sinless perfection in this life, so we must practice repentance and confession of our sins, so that we can remain clean before the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 55-58.
David begins by throwing himself on the mercy of God and asking God to remember His covenant love toward him, even though he has sinned. He plainly asks God to wash away his sin. He does not try to hide anything. He knows that his sin was a sin against God first and foremost. He knows he was born with a sinful nature, and God is the only one who can wash him completely. God has severely punished him for his sin, and now David is asking Him to create a clean heart and restore the joy of his salvation. He knows that God is not looking for an outward act or a sacrifice, but He is looking for a contrite heart. David is ready to get back to praising God and to being a strong witness for Him, but he knows that he must be cleansed fully first.
After reading Psalm 51, stop and ask God if there are any sins you need to confess and follow this pattern. If you will sincerely confess your sin with a repentant and contrite heart, you will experience a cleansing that is amazing and wonderful. You can't be trusting in yourself or in anything else. If you do, God will just laugh at your confession, as it says in Psalm 52:6,7. You must not be like the fool who says in his heart that there is no God. (53:1) Your heart must be full of faith in God and the realization that you and all people are sinful and in need of God's forgiveness. You must be able to say like David that "God is my Helper."(54:4) He knew that he could not make it on his own. Confession, repentance, and restoration should be a part of our lives on a regular basis. Hopefully, we will grow in the Lord so that we will sin less and less. However, we will never reach sinless perfection in this life, so we must practice repentance and confession of our sins, so that we can remain clean before the Lord.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 55-58.