Psalm 51 (Day 34): "Then"

I am alive.
Thank You, Father, for creating me.
I am awake.
Thank You, Jesus, for living inside of me.
I am set ablaze.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for breathing Your passion into me.

On this thirty-fourth morning of my 50 days of waiting for Pentecost Sunday (June 8), I am again very grateful that the Holy Spirit prompted me to park in Psalm 51 during this season. Thirty-three days have already come and gone. They were filled with nuggets of wisdom from the psalm heading and the first twelve verses:

For the director of music. 
A psalm of David.
When the prophet Nathan came to him
after David committed adultery with Bathsheba.

"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.

Create in me a pure heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit within me.

Do not cast me from Your presence

or take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me."
Ps 51:1-12, NIV

Today, verse 13 leads us to turn a new corner on our grace adventure. It reads,

"Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

and sinners will turn back to You."

The word "then" points us to review and revisit the contents of the psalm heading and the previous twelve verses penned by King David. 

"Then" refers to the moment after God confronts a person, after the Holy Spirit convicts an individual of sin, after one's heart is filled with remorse over wrongdoing, after one's mind recognizes the great need for divine mercy, after one's spirit turns to repentance and grace.

"Then" depicts David as having been humbled enough to gain this perspective: He deserves to be cast out from the Lord's presence (as we learned in verse 11). His sin required death as payment; his transgressions demanded separation from the holiness of God. 

Therefore, "then" is a place of humility -- the ideal platform for teaching. From this low position, he is better suited to spot other transgressors, other strugglers who need to be encouraged and taught to embrace the rich supply of God's love, mercy, compassion, and grace. 

And like David, we too are invited to take our stance upon the spot of "then." We are too are encouraged to let the Word of God convict us of sin and humble us effectively to perceive the log that blocks our vision. We too are called to let the word of our testimony speak into the lives of others on the road of faith.

Are we thus enlightened to see that God confronts us daily?

The scorching heat, the beautiful breeze, the fragrant post-rain soil, the sun-baked clay, the chirping of birds, the sound of crickets -- all the sounds of nature point to the Father addressing us, talking to us, revealing Himself to us. More importantly, His Holy Word is given to us to tell us how to live and how to receive the saving knowledge of Christ. Yet, all too often, we refuse to acknowledge God's voice through nature and boldly tune Him out when we hear or read the Word of God. 

"Then," gratefully, calls us to hear -- genuinely hear -- God's voice. 

He speaks. 

He spoke in the past.
He is speaking in the present.
He will always speak in the future.

May you and I not only hear His voice when He confronts us, but may we also acknowledge that hearing His voice invites a "then" response -- meditation, conviction, contrition, and instruction.

Thank You, Holy Spirit!