Repentance
It should come as no surprise to most of you that I was following the Edgbaston cricket match yesterday afternoon. It was day 5 of England versus India, and England were well beaten. Apart from a couple of hours on day 3, India were comprehensively on top for all five days. Usually after losses the current England captain and coach are bullish, refusing to admit any mistakes, insisting they made all the right decisions.
But yesterday afternoon the coach said, we probably got it slightly wrong’… it made me chuckle. As admissions of failure go it’s pretty mild, but for the current England management it was big!
Then in our Young Adults Bible study last night we were studying Psalm 51. David wrote it as a confession after being confronted by the prophet Nathan over his adultery with Bathsheba followed by the murder of her husband Uriah once she fell pregnant.
There are various things David does in the psalm:
- David throws himself on God’s mercy and love: verse 1, ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.’ God is not looking to catch us out, he doesn’t delight in punishing us – he loves us and longs for us to be in a right relationship with him.
- David acknowledges that he has done wrong: verse 3, ‘I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.’ We humans are so good at justifying ourselves, explaining why we were in the right and how the problem is other people. Genuine repentance has to start with us recognising when we are in the wrong.
- David recognises that sin ultimately offends God: verse 4, ‘Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.’ We pretend as though God isn’t bothered by small things, little white lies, a little gossip here and there. But big or small, all sin is sin, and God is right to name it as such and judge us for it.
- David trusts that God can cleanse our hearts: verse 7, ‘Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.’ Sin is like a stubborn and sticky stain on your favourite shirt that won’t wash out. Only God can clean it away – but when he does what’s left is really clean, purer than the whitest freshest snow.
- David wants to change: verse 10 ‘Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.’ Change doesn’t come through trying extra hard or reading a self-help book or special techniques. We need a spiritual heart transplant, we need to be renewed from the inside-out because our hearts keep getting stony – and that is something only God can do – so David asks!
- David knows forgiveness is only the first step: verse 14, ‘Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Saviour, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.’ We can be forgiven but still struggle with feelings of guilt. These are Satan’s lies, but they are hard to ignore. Why not try saying a prayer of praise when you feel guilt overwhelming you?
If there is something you need to repent of today – big or small – why not use Psalm 51 to help you do that? And, if you are struggling with feelings of guilt, please speak to someone, a trusted Christian friend, who can help you let go, ignore Satan’s lies, and know and experience the love of God.
Revd Ben Green – Vicar