Psalm 51 (Day 31): A Clean Slate

After his royal mess (lust, adultery, murder, and cover-up), David penned a penitent psalm to be sung by the Israelites in worship. Aware of the rarity of such a public confession in my life, I have been going through this psalm throughout this season -- 50 days of waiting from Easter to Pentecost -- and gleaning wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

The first nine verses have touched my heart incredibly much for the past thirty days:

"Have mercy on me, O God,

according to Your unfailing love;

according to Your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions

and my sin is always before me.

Against You, You only have I sinned

and done what is evil in Your sight,

so that You are proved right when You speak

and justified when You judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Surely You desire truth in the inner parts,

You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity."
Ps 51:1-9, NIV

Four days ago, I reached verse 10 and have been journeying through it ever since, reading,

"Create in me a pure heart,

O God;

and renew a right spirit within me."

Elsewhere, David wrote,

"Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in His holy place?

Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,

who do not worship idols,

and never tell lies.

They will receive the Lord's  blessing 

and have a right relationship with God their Savior.

Such people may seek You 

and worship in Your presence, O God of Jacob."

Ps 24:3-6, NIV

On this thirty-first morning of waiting, the above passage informs me that God pours into receptive hearts the glorious blessing of a right relationship with Him, and grants to those who were once God's enemies the permission to seek Him and worship in His holy presence.

"Your blood has washed away my sin

Jesus, thank You

The Father's wrath completely satisfied

Jesus, thank You

Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table

Jesus, thank You."

Extracted from Jesus, Thank You, Pat Sczebel

Who else but the righteous Lord can save me from the waywardness of my unclean heart?
Who, indeed, but the Holy One can graciously scrub and wash away the impurities of my heart?

As I think of the cleansing of hearts God intends for His people, the words spoken to Israel through Ezekiel come to me -- beautifully displaying the generosity of the Father in the purifying process of a soiled and decaying heart:

"I will give you a new heart

and put a new spirit in you;

I will remove from you your heart of stone

and give you a heart of flesh."

Ez 36:26, NIV

What can be purer than receiving an entirely new heart and a clean slate?
What can be a greater blessing than being granted a new spirit that has a right relationship with God?
What can be better than experiencing the removal of the ugly sores of my heart, those weeds and thistles hindering growth?
And what can be richer on an emotional lever than obtaining the softest of hearts, one that accurately desires that which the Lord commands and tenderly responds to the touch of the Lord's hand?

The prayer of my heart 

is that I will take Your Word seriously, 

precious Abba. 

Grant, O Lord, 

that today might be the day 

when I gratefully embrace Your benevolent grace,

leave the former self behind, 

and humbly believe in Your promise to grant me a clean slate --

not just cognitively but also intrinsically. 

I pray also on behalf of my brothers and sisters 

that we will open our mouths and pant, 

longing for Your commands, 

walking the talk and talking the walk in spirit and in truth. 

May we be willing to live as Your devoted ambassadors, 

just like David and Nathan, 

for the fame and glory of Your name 

and the advancement of Your kingdom! 

In the name of Jesus, I pray. 

Amen!