The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/psalms/51.htm

David wrote Psalm 51 after the prophet Nathan came and woke him up about the sins he had committed. It is called a “Prayer of Repentance”, and is one of the most insightful psalms there is.

Verse 1 – “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies”

But wait! What happened to that angry God, the one full of wrath and vengeance? Didn’t he already strike David dead for sinning? How can one man call God an angry tyrant who’ll kill you for disobedience, yet David talks about a God who exhibits “lovingkindness” and “tender mercies”? Up until now, David has been a model citizen, threatened by Saul so many times I’ve lost count, he wrote many of the songs of prayer, and he has known the God that is kind, loving, forgiving, and merciful.

David goes on to confess his sin and to ask for God to forgive him. You can tell David is truly sorry for the sins that he has committed by the language he uses. He is almost pleading with God.

The only thing I do as well, is I am specific about my sins. When I pray for forgiveness, I tell God what I have specifically done. I know He knows what I’ve done, but to me, it can be painful to admit your regressions, which might cause me to think twice the next time, and it also let’s God know that you acknowledge what you have done. When you are arraigned in court, the judge just doesn’t say, “You’ve broken the law”, they tell you specifically what you are charged with. And if you confess, especially to the crime of murder, the judge may require you to stand in court and confess specific details so you are truly acknowledging what you did for the record, and so they know the confession is genuine and that they’ve convicted the right person.

It is simply too easy to pray, “Forgive me of my sins”, then get up from your knees and go about your business. Repentance means you are truly sorrowful for disappointing God, and that is what sin is…if you love God, you don’t want to hurt him, so you are praying not only to admit what you’ve done, but to apologize for hurting him.

Notice in Verse 11 where David begs God to not “take Your Holy Spirit from me”. That is what God did to Saul when he continued to ignore God. A relationship with God is a two-way street; if you seek God, he welcomes you with open arms, but if you ignore Him, there is nothing He can do for you. He doesn’t necessarily remove His Spirit from you, when you separate yourself from God, you are shunning the Spirit.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m not perfectly prayerful. And instead of trying to say the perfect prayer, using the right words, simply talk with God as if He were your best friend and in the same room with you.

However, we commit sins that we may not even realize we’ve done, so ask God to show you your sin, and if you are truly close to God, His Spirit will convict you. Some people might say it’s their conscience, but I believe it is the Holy Spirit. Remember the cartoon where the guy has a little angel on one shoulder, and the devil is on the other, and they are arguing trying to tempt you, the angel trying to keep you good while the devil tries to lead you astray. I know it is just a cartoon, but I fully believe that is what it is really like. You don’t have an angel or devil on your shoulder, but inside your head, the Holy Spirit is trying to convince you to do the right thing, to avoid sin, to reverse your path, but Satan’s angels are also in your head, trying to tempt you to do something bad.

The closer you get to God, through prayer, worship, and Bible Study, the more the Spirit wins.

Remember this psalm, and it is wise words even for use today.