Wrongdoing

”Have mercy on me, O God,

    according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

    blot out my transgressions. 

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

    and cleanse me from my sin!”

Psalm 51:1-2 (ESV)

Have you ever noticed how we soften our language when we talk about our failures? 

It's natural because none of us wants to face the full weight of what we've done. But David shows us in Psalm 51 that there's actually freedom in honesty.

David doesn't play word games as he prays. He uses the three powerful words of transgression (crossing God's forbidden boundary), iniquity (the perversity of thinking you can sin against an all-knowing God and get away with it), and sin (missing the mark of what's best for you). 

David confesses, which means to agree with God about what sin actually is.

And David committed adultery and murder, two of the worst offenses. No sacrifice could pay for those. So he asks for radical surgery in these phrases. 

He begins with, "Blot out my transgressions." Sin leaves a stain, but he wants it wiped clean. 

Then David cries out, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.” Sin doesn't just make us guilty, it makes us dirty. Like the prodigal son in the pigpen, we want a sin shower. 

"Cleanse me from my sin," he pleads. David’s asking for a spiritual detox, for complete de-sinning.

Maybe you’ve felt the temptation to soften your language about what you've done. Confess and get your heart into alignment with God by calling sin what He calls it. 

Confess your sin by name and ask Him to blot it out. Receive His steadfast love and abundant mercy by allowing His Spirit to wash you clean and purge you completely. He's willing to receive you, clean you up, and restore you.

Prayer: God, I confess how tempting it is to minimize my sin. Help me stop playing word games. I confess my sins to you by name. Through Jesus, blot them out, wash me clean, and purge me completely. Help me live in a way that glorifies you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.