Have Mercy On Me

Read Psalm 51:1-19

David Kusumoto

‘Have mercy on me’ cries King David, a Godly man, yet a man no different from us--a sinner.

This Psalm describes what could be a ‘job description,’ for sinners. Repentance is the ‘job’ of a
sinner. Can we bring ourselves to say the words “I have sinned,” as King David said in response
to the prophet Nathan (2 Sam 12:13)?   It was a pivotal moment for King David who had
strayed from God and was convicted by the Holy Spirit.

Whenever we have done something wrong, no matter how big or small, we ultimately
dishonor God. Repentance with a broken and contrite heart is not just saying the words, “I
have sinned.” The key is meaning what we have said.

Oswald Chambers says that “whenever you talk about sin, it must be ‘my’ sin. So long as you
speak of ‘sins’ you evade Jesus Christ for yourself…That is the essence of sin. My right to myself
is not merely something I claim, but something that continually makes me insist on my own
way.  Whenever God touches sin it is independence that is touched and that awakens resentment
in the human heart. Independence must be blasted clean out, there must be no such thing left,
only freedom, which is very different.   Freedom is the ability not to insist on my rights, but to see
that God gets His.”

I long for that freedom and yet I often find myself walking on the path that furthers my
distance from God.  Thankfully we have a ‘Boss,’ like no other supervisor, who has all the
attributes of mercy, unfailing love, great compassion and justice.

Martin Luther reminds us that “we are always and at the same time both fully sanctified and
forgiven, and fully sinful and in need of forgiveness.”

P r ay e r
Abba Father, thank You for the gift of repentance and forgiveness. It cost the breaking of Your
heart with the grief of the death of Your son, Jesus Christ.  Yet, You love us so much as Your
children that You desire us to enter into Your kingdom gaining the true freedom which can
only come from You. In Christ’s name, Amen.
 DAY 42

Questions
What is the ‘job description’ of a sinner?  How can we learn from King David how to be
truly repentant?

What does mercy mean to you?  What are the attributes of mercy that God has?
(see Psalm 51:1, Exodus 34:5-7)

MY Reflections

Does any particular verse (SCRIPTURE) in today’s reading speak to you?

OBSERVE what this verse is saying to you:

How can you APPLY this verse to your life today?

My PRAYER for today is: