When sin consumes your life....

The past 2 days God has had two mentors in my life suggest the same passage of scripture to dive into (neither knowing the other suggested it).  I opened my bible this afternoon praying that God would show me something powerful:

Psalm 51

1Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

3For I know my transgressions,

And my sin is ever before me.

4Against You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is evil in Your sight,

So that You are justified when You speak

And blameless when You judge.

5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

6Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

7Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness,

Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

9Hide Your face from my sins

And blot out all my iniquities.

10Create in me and clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners will be converted to You.

14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;

Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

15O Lord, open my lips,

That my mouth may declare Your praise.

16For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

18By Your favor do good to Zion;

Build the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

How amazing is our heavenly father!!!  This passage is a prayer, a cry, to God from King David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.  David had her husband Uriah killed and had hit rock bottom with sin completely consuming his life.  David fell before his God and praised the creator and giver of mercy.  He sought forgiveness and begged God to deliver him from "bloodguiltiness" (the guilt from killing Uriah).  However, the most power words of David are from verses 16 and 17.  David, I am sure after doing and exhaustive search for a way to fix the mess he made, realizes that nothing of this world would be sufficient.  He says in verse 16, "You do not delight in sacrifice....You are not please with brunt offering."  David is saying that if I could have given you something God to show that what I did was wrong, I would have done it.  God's power comes in verse 17..."The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart."  David seeks to bring himself - his broken self - before the Almighty Judge.  He brings himself before God with a broken, sorrowful, but confident spirit.  He comes before his God knowing that he will not be let down ("You will not despise!").

How often we (me) comes before the throne hoping that God will grant us grace, once again; praying that He will show compassion, once again; searching for the words to explain our sticky situation, once again.  But what we fail to remember is that God is a God of BOUNTIFUL GRACE, God is a God of GREAT COMPASSION (verse 1), and God is a God of COUNTLESS RESTORATION!!!! Praise the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords....He is, I Am.