Devotion:
Read Psalm 51:10-17.
King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David’s loyal fighting men who was away fighting for David. With Bathsheba pregnant and David unable to cover up his sin, he cruelly had Uriah killed in battle and took Bathsheba as his wife. David was unrepentant until his prophet Nathan came to him and confronted him with the terrible nature of his actions. This is the backstory to Psalm 51.
Hopefully neither you nor I have committed such grievous sins, but all of us sin and fall short. David speaks for all of us in those situations in which we realize we have missed the mark and have sinned. We feel a separation from God, and we fear that God will cast us aside. We long for the joy of salvation that we had known before. In the agony of these times, we want to be restored and to connect again with God. Like David, we may make promises to serve God and to help prevent others from making the mistakes we have made. Having struggled with the agony of our realized guilt, we can be assured that God will restore our broken heart and rekindle God’s spirit in us.
Personal Worship Option:
Spend some of your prayer time today in confession, reflecting on things you did but should not have done or things you should have done yet failed to do. Read the passage again as if you are saying the words instead of David. Pray for forgiveness and reconnection with God.
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