"Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin."
Pslam 51:2, NIV
In verse 2, David implores God to wash him, a request that brings three words to my awareness -- water, soap, and friction.
Two days ago, I was led to meditate on water.
Yesterday, I focused on the concept of soap.
Today, I invite you to join me in reflecting upon the word "friction."
Friction can be rightly understood as the resistance that ensues when two objects or substances rub against each other. It can also be seen as high pressure applied to a surface with the intent of removing undesired blemishes such as mold, grime, dust, mud, chaff, dirt, etc. As far as I am concerned in my walk with the Lord, nothing feels more like friction than such pressures as sicknesses, deaths, job losses, heartbreaks, betrayals, insults, persecutions, and hardships of all shapes and sizes.
When David was tactfully confronted by the prophet Nathan, his eyes were thankfully opened by God to see fully the grossness of his sin against the Lord, against his position as anointed King, against his own family, against Uriah, against Bathsheba, against his accomplices, and against everyone within his circle of influence. Hence, he admittedly wanted to be cleansed of the charades connived by his heart.
Out of utmost grace, God allowed friction and high pressure into David's life. When Nathan's words came, they lovingly yet effectively smote David's poisonous indulgence, immorality, and indifference. His conscience tormented him over the broad scope of his misdeeds -- the baby born from his adulterous affair contracted a fatal disease; shame and blame threatened to overwhelm him. More importantly, however, all of that friction led him to none other than the Rock of ages, the solid Rock.
The Lord is gracious.
No matter what form it takes, God allows friction into our lives for a specific purpose. He wants us to know that life's headaches are designed to add their own power to create friction and velocity, quickening our hearts to desire God's cleaning process:
- Each trial we face is like a pump designed to draw water (God's Word, as we learned two days ago) from our hearts. Understandably, the psalmist encourages us to hide God's Word in our hearts that we might not sin against Him.
- Each temptation we encounter is an invitation to lift our eyes up to the mountain, up to the Cross where divine soap (the blood of Christ, as we learned yesterday) is made available for anyone who acknowledges a need for cleansing, anyone who chooses to believe in the One sent from the Father.
As with all high pressure machines, we function best under pressure only when our water supply (God's Word in us) is adequate and when our soap/detergent (Christ's blood) is highly efficient. As water starvation leads the pump of a machine to malfunction, lack of biblical wisdom also causes wear and tear damage to our spiritual walk. As the wrong detergent causes machines to deteriorate, placing our faith in anything but the powerful blood of Christ causes our spiritual boat to sink.
Gratefully, with Christ as our Bridge, the blood shed on the Cross covers us for all eternity.
In Him, we have everything we need:
We are washed.
We are cleansed.
We are renewed.
Thanks be to our gracious God!
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