Psalm 51

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your amazing and grace-filled love toward me. Because of your great compassion, erase the record of my rebellious deeds.

Scrub away my iniquity.

Cleanse me from my sin.

I admit that I have done wrong.

I am very aware of my sin.

Ultimately, I sin against you, because I do what you declare to be evil.

And so, you are just and altogether blameless in your judgment.

I am a sinner from birth, indeed, from the moment of my conception I was predisposed to do wrong.

But you desire truth to change my inner being, and for wisdom to reign even in the hidden recesses of my life.

As hyssop is used to purge poisons from the body, so I ask for you to purge me – then I will be clean!

Yes!  If you wash me, I will be whiter than the driven snow.

My deepest longing is to be filled with the kind of joy and happiness that comes from being forgiven.

Indeed! May my crushed spirit be revived!

Be blind to my sin, O Lord! Blot out the stain of my wrong doing!

Recreate me from the inside out and transform my inner being.

Please do not remove your presence from me!

Please do not let your Holy Spirit leave me!

Restore the joy I once had when you first set me free.

Yes, and please make me the kind of person who willingly walks in your footsteps.

Then I will be able to tell others about your merciful ways from my own experience.

When they hear, they will turn to you.

Rescue me from the guilt of bloodshed, O Lord!

You are the God of my salvation!

Then I will once more be free to sing songs about your righteous nature.

O sovereign Lord, grant me the ability to sing forth your praises once more!

I know you do not desire an outward show of repentance otherwise I would gladly offer that to you; but no, you require something far more fundamental than ritual, no matter how sincere it might be.

What you desire is for my haughty spirit to be broken and to be replaced with a humble and repentant one.

Be kind to you people, O Lord, and rebuild our broken lives.

Once our inward disposition has been changed, then our external forms of worship will be acceptable to you.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.