Psalm 51:1-12 (NRSV)
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Verse 1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Verse 2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Verse 3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Verse 4Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
Verse 5Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
Verse 6You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Verse 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Verse 8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Verse 9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Verse 10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Verse 11Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Verse 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Devotion
Do you remember a time when you had to admit you’d made a mistake, hurt someone, or done something else you regretted? I remember far too many! Even when we know we’ve done wrong, it is still sometimes very painful to admit it and especially to ask for forgiveness from the one we’ve wronged. Sometimes our admission results in a stronger, deeper relationship. Other times the relationship is irrevocably broken. Just as we sin against other people, we sin against God. Sometimes it seems as if our hearts have been impossibly corrupted by the wrong we do. But, like the psalmist, we stand before God and confess our sin. We cling to God’s grace, receiving a new heart filled with love and forgiveness and refashioned for praise and service.
Prayer
Gracious God, we give thanks that your love awaits us in every moment. Amen.