Verse: Psalm 50:1-4
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;
Devotion
This Psalm was written by David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then plotted for the murder of her husband Uriah. His sinful desire for pleasure led him to make a sinful decision, and then as often happens, sin begets sin. In an effort to cover it up he got more and more desperate. Eventually leading him to his horrible plan to have Uriah killed in battle. I'm sure there were layers and layers of self deception and rationalization. I'm sure in some ways, in his head, he made it seem ok (like we do). But in the end, Nathan the prophet confronted him with the truth and David was (finally) broken by the realization of the gravity of his sin.
So what do we do with these verses devotionally in our lives? First, can we ask ourselves if we are hiding anything? The more we hide our sin the worse it gets. We fear the pain of revealing it, but instead we suffer the torture of hiding it. Who is someone you trust in the Lord who you could go to with this? Second, whatever you are battling right now in your life (even if you aren't winning the battle!) God has grace and mercy and forgiveness for you.
That would be my number one take away from this Psalm: we are never too far gone.
It's hard to overstate how horrible David's actions were. And yet, he found forgiveness through repentance. He begged God to "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast 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." In Jesus we can find what David sought in this prayer. Jesus will create a new heart in his. He won't cast us from his presence but he will restore us and sustain us.
No matter what sin or mistake or brokenness you are facing today, it's not too much for God. You are not too far gone. There are no hopeless cases when it comes to Jesus. There may be real world consequences that we deal with (as did David) but God will even walk with us through those. God is in the business of redeeming, forgiving, and healing sinners. And for that, I am eternally grateful. So don't believe the lie that your sin is too much for God. Find someone to talk to about it, and allow Jesus to bring healing and forgiveness to your soul.