1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.

6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.

— Psalm 51:1-4; 6-10; 12

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

David said in Psalm 51: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit.” That is not just poetry. That is the result of Holy Spirit’s conviction. The Holy Spirit’s conviction breaks the convicted ones, but it never leaves them broken. And maybe now we have messed up, drifted, and fallen into something that we had said that we never would and now we hear two voices. One says, “you’re done.” The other says, “Come back.” One is accusation. The other is invitation.

The second voice is the Holy SPirit’s. The Holy Spirit does what no human can. He speaks directly to our souls. He doesn’t slap us with guilt and walks away. Yes, He convicts. But then He binds up our wounds. He’s like a surgeon. He cuts to heal. He exposes not to humiliate, but to set free and this is so important in our culture today because we’ve been taught the truth hurts so we avoid it. The Spirit doesn’t work in extreme. He brings both truth and tenderness, correction, and comfort, fire and peace.