psalms 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ;
you teach [b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Gwen: Many times we sin against the Lord. And somehow we feel ashame to even face Him again. but fret not, God is a God that forgives and forgets. as long as we repent before Him and try our very best to live our life humble and pure. God will give you a pat on your head and says, "Good girl. You have pleased me. What would you like to have for breakfast 2ml after you have read the psalms?"

Jenn: It amazed me tt though confronted with his adultery, David still had the courage to come to God. David knew God was, is, and will be a righteous God, and he'd failed Him terribly when God'd entrusted Israel the Chosen Nation to him, and gave him everything he could possibly want, including many wives. God could've easily struck him dead without lifting a finger, or allow him to suffer a death like Saul. I believe he came to God trembling, yet he still came, because he knew God intimately. He knew very well that God would be angry, yet he was ready to accept God's wrath, to risk everything and beg for mercy, to plead God not to leave him. It showed how much God's friendship mattered to him...
Thank You God that when we feel we've nothing to offer to You, You tell us that "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." All You want from us Lord, is for us to be true and real with You. All You want...is for us to love You. Thank You Lord. *Huggs*

Nuan: I like this psalm alot. so often, we feel so ashamed to return to Him even though we have acknowledged our sins and we just feel that it is impossible to receive the forgiveness and have a new beginning as though nothing ever happened. i guess that is because that is the way it is between man. there is so much judgement that we judge ourselves even before others do.

but this psalm shows that with God, it is so different. and it shows that David knew God so well, that even after he committed adultery and murder, he came before Him with this psalm to seek forgiveness and renewal. this psalm reminds me to not run away from Him, but rather to come to Him with a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

and there is nothing more that He wants than this. nothing we can do, like being top in school, earning the most money, singing the best song, bringing the most people to Christ can beat just coming before Him with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. and for that, i am grateful for the God that He is, His unfailing love and unending grace. thank You..