Have you ever done something so bad you thought you could never be forgiven? Do you wonder if forgiveness is real? Is it hard for you to believe that God can and will forgive you? Have you asked God to forgive you? Have you poured out your broken heart to him?
Forgiveness can be hard to believe. After all, we see grudges being held in our culture and vengeance being meted out. If we have done something wrong in our jobs, it can be held against us for a long time and may keep us from receiving a promotion.
Psalm 51 was written by King David after the prophet Nathan had revealed his sin to him. He had wrongly slept with Bathsheba, gotten her pregnant, plotted to cover it up by having her husband come back from battle to sleep with her, and had him killed when we refused. Nathan came to David and revealed his sin to him at God’s behest.
David’s world came crashing down around him. Because of his selfishness and deceitfulness, God punished him by taking his youngest son from him. David broke. He pleaded with God not to take his son. He mourned over his sin. He wrote Psalm 51 to express his brokenness and need for God to forgive him. We know God forgave him for David is called a man after God’s own heart. Not because of his sin, but because he turned his heart to God.
We, too, can turn our heart to God. In our brokenness, we can turn away from our sin and ask God to forgive us. If we are giving our heart to God, we can trust that he will forgive us, just as he did David. It is unfortunate that we often must hit rock bottom to turn to God. We would be much better off if we would learn lessons from others who have had experiences we would rather avoid. So, learn the lesson of David and turn your heart to God.
I pray we all turn from our sin and ask God for forgiveness. I pray we learn the lesson of David. I pray each one of us will trust in God’s grace and mercy, trusting him to forgive us of our sin. Turn your heart to God. Confess your sin. Ask God to forgive you. Trust in God’s mercy. Know he will forgive you.
Psalm 51:1-2
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.
Marty Pressey 