.....contrite

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight...  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me...  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,  O God, you will not despise Psalm 51

How many times have you prayed this prayer? Or, perhaps, how many times have you prayed this prayer this week? Sin and guilt create distance between us and God. As the old saying goes, "If you feel far away from God, guess who moved?"  God does not and has not moved away from us when we sin. But, the distance comes as a consequence of our guilt and shame.

When we realize that our sin has created a distance, we are prone to rely on our natural human tendencies to fix the problem and eliminate the distance. We make promises. "Lord, I will never do this again. Please forgive me."  "Father, I will work harder for You if You will forgive me."   "Lord, I will do anything You want me to do, will You please forgive me?"

So, we go to work. We beat ourselves up reminding ourelves how foolish we are. Our self-talk changes. We remind ourselves of what an awful person we are. We second-guess ourselves. We feel ashamed. We constantly belittle ourselves. Our thinking seems to follow this line of thinking: "If I can keep apologizing, repenting, working harder to do better, and convincing myself how awful I am, then surely the Lord will realize how hard I am trying to be right and forgive me."

Ever been there?  Read David's words again.   "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;  you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

"A broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart?"   Really?  That's what God wants? That sounds simple. Why do we make it so difficult?

First, we make it more difficult because we are not sure that God will really forgive us. It is a control issue. It is a surrender issue. It is a trust issue.

Second, we make it more difficult because we think it is easier to fix things ourselves than to depend on God. Admitting our sin and really being honest with God about our sin, our foolish nature, and immature actions is more difficult, or less appealing than working harder to make things right.   We can control (there's that word again) our hard work. We are confident in our ability. To approach the throne of God completely open and humble is more frightening, and perhaps too easy, and too difficult. It comes down to our dependence upon the living God to do what only He can do.

The New Testament writer Paul, said it this way: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from the body of this death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-25

This may be the perfect time for you to confess your sins, to humble yourself, to be broken with all your heart, and to make a fresh start. Today may be the opportune time to come clean with God and with your fellow man. 

Humble yourself. Trust the God who created you, who loves you, and who sent His only Son to die for you. He can handle your broken and contrite heart. In fact, that is exactly what He is looking for.