Psalm 51:1-2 (Repentance)
"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).
The path of reconciliation to God begins with an acknowledgment of who God is. He is our creator, judge, and redeemer—Alpha and Omega, author of life, and only through Him can forgiveness of sin be attained. More importantly, God is the author and administer of mercy, because without it, we are declared guilty without excuse.
It is critical we understand that His love is the reason why He gives mercy, for we deserve His wrath because Scripture declares that sin must be atoned for. Yet because He loves, He provided a way of escape for our eternal judgment by sacrificing His Son on our behalf.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Keep in mind, the epitome of mercy is not punishing us for what we deserve, but through grace, providing an even greater gift of salvation and atonement we do not deserve nor can ever payback.
Cleansing of sin must be universal, though, for all roots of sin must be eradicated like cancer for the whole body to survive. But there must be specificity to determine whether we fully understand the breadth and depth of our sins, otherwise we are more apt to fall victim again.
“Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:11–12).
Bottom-line, when we take the time to acknowledge exactly how we failed and ended up in a pit of guilt and shame, we begin the process of reconciliation and realize that only He can cleanse us of our sins. For time taken to reflect upon our failures points to seeds of brokenness, and that is the ultimate goal God seeks for our sanctification.
That doesn’t mean we will never fail again. Rather, it demonstrates the presence of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts, convicting us of sin, and drawing us to repent and reconcile our souls back to God.
“And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord” (Psalm 27:6).
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 34:8 reminds us that God is our shelter from the storms of life, protecting us from danger which seeks to hurt us physically, from distress which overwhelms us emotionally, and from calamity which ultimately attempts to destroy us spiritually.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Oh Lord, I have so many enemies, so many against me. Oh Lord, so many are saying that You'll never rescue me. You, Oh Lord, are a shield around me. You're my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried to the Lord and He heard me from His Holy mountain. I won't be afraid. I am not afraid.
While Psalm 77 may not be the most common Scriptural reference of encouragement for one who is mourning the loss of a loved one, there is incredible perspective available that the psalmist conveys concerning the emotional roller coaster a mourner endures.
The path of reconciliation to God begins with an acknowledgment of who God is. He is our creator, our judge and our redeemer. He is the Alpha and Omega, the author of life, and only through Him can forgiveness of sin be attained.
When a man or woman accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), he or she is embarking on an incredible journey, one that will test the core of what an individual thinks about him or herself. There is a shift in the heart of the individual who accepts Christ's atoning sacrifice, for the reality of sin rises to the surface as the Holy Spirit convicts and becomes the gauge by which genuineness and depth of faith is measured.
There are infinite aspects of God's character that defy human logic or understanding, of which grace and mercy are among the top concepts that we cannot fully comprehend this side of heaven. Perhaps the greatest by-product of God's grace and mercy is His willingness to forgive sins.
You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, LORD, do I seek.’