Asking God for Forgiveness
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1)
If you were to ask most Christians to identify three biblical stories, I’m guessing the story of David & Goliath would come up again and again. In his battle with the giant Goliath, David set himself apart as a great man of faith. Years later, after the death of Saul, God raised David up to be the King of Israel. Under David’s leadership, Israel reached heights it had never before seen. David built his palace in the city of Jerusalem, and he even began to make preparations for a future temple.
Yet, in spite of all David’s successes he made a critical mistake. At a time when he should’ve been out to war with his troops, he stayed at home in his palace. Being where he shouldn’t have been, he started doing things he shouldn’t have done. He allowed a look to turn into lust, and his sin finally led him to murder Bathsheba’s husband. Not long after the incident, the prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin and the King was broken-hearted by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
That story is the background for today’s verse in Psalm 51. The superscription of the psalm even says, “A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone into Bathsheba.” It is a cry for forgiveness that also serves as a model for us. Every one of us makes mistakes that displease the Lord (Rom. 3:23). When we sin, we’ve got a choice – we can wallow in guilt & self-pity, or we can confess our sins to God and begin the process of repentance. Today, make certain that you choose the path of forgiveness & repentance. Start now by confessing your sins to God.
If you were to ask most Christians to identify three biblical stories, I’m guessing the story of David & Goliath would come up again and again. In his battle with the giant Goliath, David set himself apart as a great man of faith. Years later, after the death of Saul, God raised David up to be the King of Israel. Under David’s leadership, Israel reached heights it had never before seen. David built his palace in the city of Jerusalem, and he even began to make preparations for a future temple.
Yet, in spite of all David’s successes he made a critical mistake. At a time when he should’ve been out to war with his troops, he stayed at home in his palace. Being where he shouldn’t have been, he started doing things he shouldn’t have done. He allowed a look to turn into lust, and his sin finally led him to murder Bathsheba’s husband. Not long after the incident, the prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin and the King was broken-hearted by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
That story is the background for today’s verse in Psalm 51. The superscription of the psalm even says, “A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone into Bathsheba.” It is a cry for forgiveness that also serves as a model for us. Every one of us makes mistakes that displease the Lord (Rom. 3:23). When we sin, we’ve got a choice – we can wallow in guilt & self-pity, or we can confess our sins to God and begin the process of repentance. Today, make certain that you choose the path of forgiveness & repentance. Start now by confessing your sins to God.
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