1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise. – Psalm 51:1-17 (NIV)
This Psalm is a prayer of King David after he had a huge moral failure (adultery and murder) and sinned against God. A quick read of this Psalm reveals this was so much more than an apology. The heart and motive behind this prayer to God was greater and deeper than simply saying, “I’m sorry.” When David’s sins had been revealed, he didn’t make excuses, or blame anyone else. He humbly confessed and held nothing back. This is what true repentance looks like. It’s being open and honest before God, asking for mercy and forgiveness, and committing to turning away from the sin. This Psalm is packed with words of action that convey not only sorrow for his sin, but a genuine change of heart and mind that will result in changed behaviors.
As individuals, we’re called to repentance over and over again in the Scriptures. But did you know that Jesus also calls his church, corporately, to repentance, too? In the 7 letters written to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, the message of Jesus to 5 of these churches was to repent. In order for them to become the holy church He bled and died for, they needed to grow up in grace so that they would recognize and hate sin the same way God does. And when they would come to Him with truly broken hearts, He would meet them in love and mercy and transform them into the church He intended them to be.
Has the Lord revealed to you the sins in your life He longs for you to repent from? What is He calling you to turn away from in order to be set free?
As a church, what sins do we need to confess to God? Where do we need to repent? Where have we fallen short of God’s standard, been disobedient, or even lost our first love?