Have Mercy On Me Read Psalm 51:1-19 David Kusumoto
‘Have mercy on me’ cries King David, a Godly man, yet a man no different from us--a sinner. This Psalm describes what could be a ‘job description,’ for sinners. Repentance is the ‘job’ of a sinner. Can we bring ourselves to say the words “I have sinned,” as King David said in response to the prophet Nathan (2 Sam 12:13)? It was a pivotal moment for King David who had strayed from God and was convicted by the Holy Spirit. Whenever we have done something wrong, no matter how big or small, we ultimately dishonor God. Repentance with a broken and contrite heart is not just saying the words, “I have sinned.” The key is meaning what we have said. Oswald Chambers says that “whenever you talk about sin, it must be ‘my’ sin. So long as you speak of ‘sins’ you evade Jesus Christ for yourself…That is the essence of sin. My right to myself is not merely something I claim, but something that continually makes me insist on my own way. Whenever God touches sin it is independence that is touched and that awakens resentment in the human heart. Independence must be blasted clean out, there must be no such thing left, only freedom, which is very different. Freedom is the ability not to insist on my rights, but to see that God gets His.” I long for that freedom and yet I often find myself walking on the path that furthers my distance from God. Thankfully we have a ‘Boss,’ like no other supervisor, who has all the attributes of mercy, unfailing love, great compassion and justice. Martin Luther reminds us that “we are always and at the same time both fully sanctified and forgiven, and fully sinful and in need of forgiveness.”
P r ay e r Abba Father, thank You for the gift of repentance and forgiveness. It cost the breaking of Your heart with the grief of the death of Your son, Jesus Christ. Yet, You love us so much as Your children that You desire us to enter into Your kingdom gaining the true freedom which can only come from You. In Christ’s name, Amen.
DAY 42 Questions What is the ‘job description’ of a sinner? How can we learn from King David how to be truly repentant?
What does mercy mean to you? What are the attributes of mercy that God has? (see Psalm 51:1, Exodus 34:5-7)
MY Reflections Does any particular verse (SCRIPTURE) in today’s reading speak to you?
OBSERVE what this verse is saying to you:
How can you APPLY this verse to your life today?
My PRAYER for today is: