A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
51 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And [e]blameless when You judge.5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
David, the “man after God’s own heart” had taken a terrible slide into sin. Not only had he committed adultery with Bathsheba, but he had murdered one of his own captains, the husband of Bathsheba, so that he could “cover up” his sin. But David’s sin could not be covered by his own means, which he found out in a very real way.
Nothing we do is ever hidden from God, from David to Judah, and even Jonah, God sees us no matter what we try to do. The amazing part is the truth that is displayed in this psalm. When David repented of his sin, God immediately forgave him. Oh, there would be consequences, big and ugly, but David was forgiven in the sight of God.
So David rightly calls out to God to cleanse him. He couldn’t do it himself, and no one else could offer enough sacrifices to clean up David’s mess. God alone could purify David, and He wanted to do it. God doesn’t desire to bury us in the filth of our sins. He doesn’t wish to cast us into utter darkness. Rather, His desire is for us to turn away from our mess and come to Him, broken pieces and all.
When we come to God, and let him rinse away all our impurities, only then can we be truly restored. Then, we become who we were created to be, children of God himself, without spot or wrinkle. We can’t do it on our own, any more than David could, but God is waiting right this moment. His arms are not crossed in disappointment, but open wide, inviting us to come home. Come home, and find true “joy and gladness”.