Devotion:
Read Psalm 51.
King David had sinned on a number of levels. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his most faithful soldiers. As king, David had exploited his power over Bathsheba by sending for her to be brought to his palace. This act of adultery took place while Uriah was away, loyally serving and fighting for his king. When David learned that Bathsheba was pregnant, his efforts at a cover-up failed, so he had Uriah killed in battle!
When David showed no remorse for these sinful actions, his prophet Nathan confronted him and helped him to clearly see his guilt. David loved God and was described as a “man after God’s own heart.” Sin has a way of separating us from God, and now David feels the weight of his sins against God and knows that he is disconnected from God. David often wrote psalms to express his feelings, and David wrote Psalm 51 during this time. In this psalm, David cries out that he cannot get his sins off his mind, and he craves God’s forgiveness. David also acknowledges that God does not desire offerings or sacrifices but rather desires a broken and contrite heart, which David offers and asks God to cleanse him and restore him to salvation. Like David, may we desire always to stay connected to God.
Personal Worship Option:
Today, let David’s plea in Psalm 51:10 to “create in me a pure heart, O God,” be our prayer. It is from our hearts that our actions and our words come. And when we earnestly desire a pure heart, we will very likely stay closely connected to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment