1 Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; •
according to the abundance of your compassion
blot out my offences.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness •
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my faults •
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned •
and done what is evil in your sight,
5 So that you are justified in your sentence •
and righteous in your judgement.
17 For you desire no sacrifice, else I would give it; •
you take no delight in burnt offerings.
18 The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; •
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
We strive to be the very best person that we can. We try to put our very best foot forward. In the process we try to hide the places that are not perfect. We want others to respect us and to see the best in us.
There was a time in my life when I tried to hide the hurt and pain that my heart felt from all the people around me. I did not want people to know that I was struggling. I wanted to be seen as a strong person that did not need the help of others. I tried to hide the places in my life that were not perfect. After months of hiding my hurt and pain, I could not hide it anyone. I had to be real with myself, God and the people around me that loved me.
The dangers of hiding the places in life that are not perfect are at least two fold. First, when we hide those places we begin to retreat into ourselves. We forget that we are not alone. We forget that God wants to journey to the hard places with us. We close ourselves off not only from the world, but from God. Second, we lose the support of others. When we refuse to be vulnerable, we cut off people that can love and support us.
Verse 3 says, “For I acknowledge my faults, and my sin is ever before me.” The Psalmist makes a very important point. When we acknowledge our faults, we can make changes in our life. We no longer have to hide them from ourselves, God and others. We can admit that we are not perfect and allow God to work through our faults to help us grow. We will never grow out of our faults as long as we hide them from ourselves and from God. God can only work in the parts of our lives that we allow Him access.
There are no perfect people. The only perfect one came to the earth to teach us how to live, show us love and to give us life eternal. We are all in need of God’s perfecting grace. Will you acknowledge where you need that grace and allow God to lead you to perfection in Him?
Blessings,
Pastor Mandy