Psalm 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 you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret 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,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
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 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Washed clean
The moment you put your faith in Jesus and you surrender your heart to Him, you are completely forgiven of every sin you have ever and will ever commit. Not only are those sins forgiven, but they are completely washed away. So, when I talk about praying for cleansing, I’m not in any way implying that anything else needs to happen for your forgiveness and cleansing from sin. That has already been taken care of – completely!
However, if you’re anything like me, you live with the sensitivity that the attitudes of the world can start to rub off on your heart and have a negative impact on your spirit.
Once in a while, we just need to ask the Holy Spirit to take His pressure washer of grace and blast off the gunk.
I love David’s prayer of repentance in Psalm 51:10. In particular, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
What a great prayer for all of us to pray.
God, I don’t want any of this world’s residue to build up in my spirit. I want to live freely and love completely.
Wash me, cleanse me, and make me shine!
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