May 11, 2009
God will not reject your humble and repentant heart
Psalm 51
Burke Autrey
Central Truth
No matter what your sin, God will not reject a humble and repentant heart. You can confidently ask God for forgiveness, a pure heart, and a renewed joy to serve Him.
Key Verse | Psalm 51:10, 17
Create for me a pure heart, O God!
Renew a resolute spirit within me!
. . . .
The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit—
O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.
(Psalm 51:10, 17)
Psalm 51
Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1
Have mercy on me,
1
51:1
Or Be gracious to me
O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4
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.
5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right
2
51:10
Or steadfast
spirit within me.
11
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19
then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 51
In the aftermath of David's moral failure with Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan's confrontation, we find David broken and humble before God. But rather than retreat in guilt, shame, and isolation, David runs to God pleading for mercy, confessing his sin, asking for a new and pure heart, and vowing to return to a life of praising God and teaching His ways. The words and pattern of Psalm 51 have become instructive to generations of God’s people to return to God for mercy and forgiveness in our darkest moments.
It's difficult for me to turn to God in the midst of the guilt and shame my sin produces. My tendency is to avoid the one I’ve sinned against (whether God or another person), rather than humble myself, confess my sin, and seek restoration of the relationship I have broken. This pattern in my life, in part, drove me to the ministry of Celebrate Recovery. Our hurts, habits, and hang-ups can keep us in slavery for years when Satan convinces us that we are not worthy of a restored relationship with a holy God. Despite David’s example in Psalm 51 and the promise of forgiveness in 1 John 1:9 and elsewhere, we often choose to remain in isolation and broken fellowship—the result of our own pride.
As believers in Christ, we know that His sacrifice on the cross has already dealt with our sin. But the process of choosing daily to follow Him and quickly restore that relationship when we sin, can be difficult. During my time in Celebrate Recovery, I have experienced the joy of a pure heart and a renewed, resolute spirit to follow Christ more closely. I still struggle, but when I fall, I am more likely to run to God’s mercy, confess my sin, ask for a pure heart, and enjoy a restored relationship with God. And having a humble spirit before God makes it easier to ask forgiveness from others and offer it to them as well. I am comforted by David’s words: “Oh God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.” (Psalm 51:17)
Discussion Questions
1. Are you choosing to live in guilt, shame, and isolation instead of approaching God with a humble and broken spirit and allowing Him to heal you?
2. Are you buying the lie that your sins are too much for God to handle—that you could never have a pure heart?
3. Are you ready to change? If so, check out http://www.watermark.org/ministries/care/celebrate-recovery/.