24. Psalm 51 ~ when all I have to offer is a broken and contrite heart
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight: that You might be justified when You speak, and be clear when You judge. Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part You shall make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Your ways; and sinners shall be converted unto You.
Deliver me from guilt, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
This passage is part of a series of prayers taken directly from Scripture. Please join me in experiencing a new depth in our relationship with a personal God by praying the words from His Holy Bible. Read them aloud whenever possible, in a spirit of prayer to the Father, in the name of Jesus, trusting that He will receive them from your heart and answer the same way He answered the original writers.
But do not pray these prayers until you have first prayed to God in repentance of sin for salvation. If He is not your Father, that is where you must begin. You see, we are God’s enemies from birth, prone to follow our own will and reject His. But God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to become sin for us, that we could become righteous before Him. We accept the righteousness of Christ by faith. This is the only way to please a holy God. This is where the relationship begins. If you have not accepted the gift of salvation, then the first prayer you need to pray is the one asking God to forgive you of your sins. I will not provide you with that prayer, because that is between you and God alone. No man can put those words in your mouth. But I will share the message briefly with you here, and if you need more, I will gladly talk with you further if you will contact me. God’s plan of salvation is demonstrated in both the Old and New Testaments because it is the message of the entire Bible to the entire world.
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
If you have called on the name of the Lord to save you, I would like to know so we can rejoice together. The angels in heaven are already rejoicing.
Photo taken in Milton, FL, 2018
The Abundant Heart 