VERSE OF THE DAY FOR SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

The bible verse for Meditation and Memorization today is Psalms 51:1-2

Have mercy on me O God according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (KJV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse

This is the humble prayer of confession made by David after he committed adultery with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. There are certain elements we can easily observe in this prayer.  It is a prayer of faith because David trusts that God has the ability to forgive him. It is a prayer of humility because he owned up to his misdeeds and did not try to mask them.  It is a prayer of trust. He knows the relationship he shares with God. That God remains his father no matter how far sunk into sin he might have gone. He invoked the mercy of God and not his own defence. He further acknowledged that this mercy is not to his credit as he does not merit it. Rather, it is according to God's loving kindness and the multitude of his tender mercies. 

Then he went further to pray for washing.  I wondered at that choice of word; "wash". This denotes a sense of uncleanness, dirtiness and unworthiness. He saw himself as no longer fit. He has been reduced. He has come short. Yes, this is how we feel anytime there is an infiltration of sin. Whenever, we fall into the error of disobedience, this sense of shame, unworthiness and dirtiness is what follows us. And indeed we are contaminated. Sin contaminates a child of God because we have been cleansed by the blood and the by the water of regeneration.  Anytime we fall into sin, we are contaminated like a sow that goes back to it's own vomit. So in psalms 51:7 we still see David praying purge me with hyssop and I shall be wither than snow. 

It is exciting and reassuring to remember that we have a much more powerful soap than hyssop for washing of our consciences. 1John 9 " if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " For we have come to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than blood of Abel (Heb12:24). Jesus is our mediator, our cleanser and our perfection. We must never hesitate to go to the father in prayer whenever we have fallen short. Instead of running away to hide like Adam we must run back into the hands of God that he might discipline us and restore our relationship with him. 

PRAYER: dear father, we thank you for your mercy that never fails. Please help us to humbly acknowledge our sins whenever we fall short and fly to that fountain of the blood of Jesus for thorough cleansing, washing and restoration by the  grace he provides  Amen!