Listen

Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love! Wipe away my wrongdoings according to your great compassion! Wash me completely clean of my guilt; purify me from my sin! Because I know my wrongdoings, my sin is always right in front of me. I’ve sinned against you—you alone. I’ve committed evil in your sight. That’s why you are justified when you render your verdict, completely correct when you issue your judgment.

Psalm 51:1-4

Think

Looking toward our journey of Lent we find ourselves with David, the writer of Psalm 51. He has messed up in his life in a big way. As we meet him, he is acknowledging his mistakes, confessing them, and asking God to have mercy on him. He is eaten up with guilt, and he cries out to God for deliverance: “I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”

David was a warrior, a bad father, and a great king who served for forty years. God doesn’t call us to be perfect. God calls us in all our humanity. When we take responsibility for our mistakes or our shortcomings, it is as if we are breathing new air. When you have done the unspeakable, are you able to own your behavior, confess, and accept God’s forgiveness? Confession is good for the soul. Too often we are unable to forgive ourselves long after God has forgiven us. Lent is a time to remember that there is nothing beyond the reach of God’s love for us.

Sandye A. Wilson

Question to Ponder:

What does confession mean to you? How can we take responsibility for our mistakes?

Pray

Dear God, be with me in this Lenten journey as I journey with you and experience your love, mercy, and compassion.

Thank you.

Amen.

Go

Go now in peace, go now in peace. May the love of God surround you, every day and everywhere you may go.