Psalm 51:1-17 NIV

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

This is David's prayer after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba. As I  studied this passage for my Sunday School lesson this week, I was struck by a few thoughts.

1. In  the New Testament David was called "A friend of God." Now think about this~ he had just had an affair. Fathered a child as a result of this affair.  Then in an effort to cover it up, had her husband killed. So why was he considered a friend of God. I think the answer can be found in this prayer from Psalm 51. David could have responded to Nathan in anger. He could have had him put in jail or killed but instead he repented. He could have made excuses, but instead he simply repented. He took responsibility for his sin and repented of it. We don't have to be perfect to be a friend of God, we simply need to desire to be His!

2. In verse 4, David says that he has sinned against God and only God. This confused me at first because his sin involved Bathsheba and Uriah. But in this verse David is admitting to God and telling us that  sin is not simply a violation of the law. It is disrespect for God Himself. I don't know what that does to you, but that convicts me. It ignites a fire, a passion in me to seek Him more fervently so as to not disrespect Him again. In verse 4 we also see very clearly that authentic confession is prepared to accept the responsibility  for the just consequences of our sin.

3. As we see in David's prayer, there is hope. We may have been born in sin, but we don't have to be held captive by it. The wisdom David spoke of in verse 6 is available to each and every one of else if only we ask. He wants a deeper relationship with us. He doesn't want to simply forgive us of our sins. He wants us to be single-mindedly, whole-heartedly devoted to Him and living in His ways. This is an inward transformation that changes our hearts. It calls us to a relationship of total devotion. One where we allow Him to change our hearts, to change our desires, to change our will until it matches His! When we allow Him to do this, it will affect how we think, how we act, how we talk and our attitudes. You see being changed from the inside out will affect our outward appearance.

This is what I want - to be cleansed by Him. To be transformed from the inside out into His image and then to inspire others to have the same passion!