Daily Devotional for Sunday, July 28

David’s Repentance

“Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me,” Psalm 51:2, 3.

Repentance in one’s life starts with how we see our sin and our desire to have it taken away. We should desire to turn from this sin, we acknowledge what we have done and see our sin for what it is (verse 3). This should break our hearts toward God as He accepts this from us, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (verse 17). When we approach the Lord with our sin and show that we want to turn from it, the Lord then starts the repairs and restoration in our lives.

David knew the sin he had committed with Bath-sheba and then having her husband Uriah killed were things he could not run from or hide from once he was confronted by the prophet Nathan. He also knew the only one that could repair this mess and forgive him was the Lord because it was against Him that he had sinned (verse 4). What he needed was a change, so he asked for the Lord, “create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (verse 10). David knew that when he had been restored and held up by the Holy Spirit (verse 12), he would then be back in a position to be an effective representative of the Lord and lead others to repentance also. David then acknowledged, “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (verse 13). Like David, we cannot change our sin, but we can repent of our sin and allow the Lord to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

JUST A THOUGHT
Is there sin in your life that may be keeping you from being an effective witness for the Lord?

Tim Chambers