I was sitting in the First Presbyterian Church in Martins Ferry, Ohio on a normal Sunday morning. I don't remember the exact date, but it was sometime in the fall of 1972. The Chancel choir (the "old" choir) was singing, and I really wasn't paying much attention because according to my teen-aged mentality, that choir just wasn't very good, and they had sung that song at least a thousand times, so on top of sounding bad, it was boring. The music of the Celtic Singers, the high school choir I sang with, was much more up-beat, and therefore, more "spiritual." I thought even God must be ready for that song to be over so He could get on with the important stuff. Little did I expect that God's "important stuff" was about to be me! Like a bolt of lightening, the words of the song hit my arrogant, adolescent heart--"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." God revealed to me in an instant my sinful, judgemental, self-centered condition, and also His great love for me as an individual, and as tears of regret for all I was filled my eyes, He washed me in His blood, and I was changed.  I'd love to say that I lived a perfect life after that, but there were many times that I made bad decisions, or didn't do what I knew was right, or down-right willfully walked into sin, but I always knew that I could come before Daddy and plead, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me," and He always has.

In my Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Psalm 51 is prefaced with the words, "A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba." David's sin had been publicly revealed, and Nathan had caused him to speak judgement upon himself, and David, the imperfect man, and yet, the man after God's own heart, made these words:

"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 ever before me. Against You, and You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out my iniquity. Create in me a clean 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 my salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. 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. In Your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight You; then bulls will be offered on Your altar" (Psalm 51).

In the beginning of the psalm, David was obviously crushed. He stood in full reality of his sin against the One who had given him victory over his enemies and taken him from humble shepherd to king of Israel. But notice how his repentance evolves from anxiety for self, into acknowledgement of God as Righteous Judge and Merciful Lord, to praise and worship, and finally to the best interests of Jerusalem. David's prayer took him from beggar back to king!

Over and over we come before our Lord in the same broken condition as David came. Over and over, He accepts us back into His fellowship when we humble ourselves before Him and ask Him to blot out our sins. Yet it is by His own word and His own choice that He does not remember our sin. "Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back" (Isaiah. 38:17); "I, ever I, am He who blots out Your transgressions, for My Own sake, and remembers your sin no more" (Isaiah 43:25); "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more" (Jer. 31:34c); "Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18-19). One of the best Bible teachers I have ever learned from, Annette Moates (she's from Weaver), showed us a globe one night. She started at one point and turned it as the earth turns, and emphasized how as the earth rotates, the east never meets the west, demonstrating the verse, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).  Have you ever been praying in repentance for a past deed, agonizing over things done years ago, and feel the Lord say, "What are you talking about?"  When our sins are under the blood of Christ, they are blotted out! They are as far as the east is from the west!  We can only forgive; God has the divine ability to forgive and forget!

Thank You, Lord, that according to Your word in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, [You are] faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." As far as the east is from the west, remove my sinfulness from me, and renew my spirit in steadfast love and obedience to You, my Redeemer. Amen