Forgive Me, Lord - Part 2
What’s that telling us? That is exactly where forgiveness starts. Before anything else happens there has to be a recognition of who I am and who God is.
Forgive Me, Lord - Part 2
The key to David’s prayer for forgiveness is right there in the very first line. See if you can find it.
Psalms 51:1
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your mercy; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
You’re thinking that it’s God’s grace, mercy and compassion, right? Let me make this clear. Without those things, no forgiveness would ever be possible, but I’m going to surprise you. I’m going to take this another direction. If you don’t see it, let me help you out. Have you ever heard people complaining about modern church music? The thing they complain about the most is that it’s always about “me”. Hymns focus on God while most contemporary music starts with me, myself and I.
I’ve got some bad news for you. Read Psalms 51. You know what you are going to find? From start to finish, Those three little words - me, myself and I - occur 35 times in just 19 verses. In fact, you’ll read them 10 times before you even get to verse 4.
What’s that telling us? That is exactly where forgiveness starts. Before anything else happens there has to be a recognition of who I am and who God is. That’s called contrition and it’s followed by confession and praise. You’ll find that the “me’s and I’s” quickly turn to “You and Yours” which is just where God wants the heart to be when we are seeking forgiveness.
David’s prayer for forgiveness starts with his acknowledgment of his sin and his recognition of God’s sovereign holiness. He is humbling himself, confessing his sin and surrendering to holy God.
Someone messaged me recently and asked if they were praying wrong because is seemed like their prayers weren’t being heard. If your prayer for forgiveness does not start with humility followed by praise, you are absolutely praying wrong. All too often, our prayers start with “please” or “I need and want”.
What David does next is the most insane part of this amazing prayer. It will change the way you see God, forever. That’s for tomorrow.
