Psalm 51 is one of my favorite psalms. Eighties Christian singer,
Keith Green wrote a song based nearly word for word on Psalm 51. This morning
as I spent some quiet time with Jesus, the devotional I read and the guided
prayer time I joined were centered on this same topic—wanting to give up sin
and follow Jesus wholly. And to top it off, the music set I had playing on Amazon
brought up Keith Green singing Psalm 51!
I think Paul, in Romans 7:14-25, probably felt like David did when David wrote Psalm 51. Paul said, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. . . Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Just like David, Paul wanted a clean, obedient heart.
In her devotional “Frustrating” on Lutheran Hour Ministries, Dr. Kari Vo writes, “My sin nature is still running around like a chicken with its head cut off. . . So, I need the Holy Spirit’s help to get through this time—the rest of my life, really, without forgetting the reality, which is that Jesus has made me a new creation through His suffering, death, and resurrection.”
Those are words of hope—the same hope that David and Paul held onto in the face of their own struggle with sin. It’s the same hope you and I hold on to! What must we do? Confess our sin and ask God for forgiveness. Part of a prayer from SacredSpace.ie says, “Conscious of Your presence, Lord, I look over my recent past. Let me be honest about how I have been and what I have done, because I know You love truth in the heart, and accept me just as I am.”
Like the mighty Christians of the past, we can pray, “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me!” (Psalm 51:10)
Be encouraged!