This third week of Lent, we have begun to step into part of John's gospel where we are confronted with the astonishing news that Jesus has been raised from the dead. Our psalm this week is Psalm 51. David is appalled by his sin and pleads with God to not only have mercy on him but to transform his heart and make him a witness of God's saving work.
As we focus this week on repentance, may this psalm encourage us to turn from the ways that we have lived apart from God's good design for life and turn towards embracing and celebrating Jesus' resurrection life.
Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
4Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
5For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.
7Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
9Don't keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11Do not banish me from your presence,
and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
13Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you.
14Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
15Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise you.
16You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
17The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18Look with favour on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
Reflection Questions
- Where do you need to ask for God's mercy today? In what ways have you been rebelling against his desire for your life? (vv.1-4)
- Are you living with the joy of God's salvation – celebrating that he has rescued you from a life of self-centredness? If not, what would it look like for God to restore this joy in you? How might you ask him to do that? (v. 12)
Taking It Further This Week: Repentance
This week's Lent Experience challenge is to carve out a 30-minute block of time to engage in repentance before God. That might sound intimidating. But as this week's video will unpack for us, repentance is like going for a deep tissue massage where the parts of our lives that aren't right are brought back into alignment. Watch the full video to hear more (click the button below).
Scripture for Further Reflection
This week's section of the Lent Experience Participant's Journal walks through four steps for engaging in a time of repentance before God, one of which is to use the following Scriptures to take inventory of the sin in your life. Spend some time reading these passages slowly to guide your thinking and help posture you before God.
- Exodus 20:1-17
- Galatians 5:16-26
- 1 Corinthians 13
Consider returning to one or more of these passages each day this week to help you cultivate a repentant heart.
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