Please read Psalm 51 (19 verses)

“O Lord, have mercy on me as your child, for I have sinned…”

This is the cry of the psalmist as he calls on God to extend tender mercy toward him, to blot out his sin, wash his conscience clean and cleanse him from the iniquity he has fallen into. He is quick to acknowledge his sin and he recognises his guilt before the holy God. He knows he is sinful from the beginning of his existence and asks for wisdom to purify his mind and heart.

The writer asks to be purged from the sin that has beset him and that he might hear joy and gladness again. He pleads with the Lord to give him a clean heart and a renewed spirit within his psyche, that he will not offend the Lord any more. He seeks reprieve from a condemning conscience and relief from the accusation of his mind. He asks the Lord not to cast him away from His presence or take His precious Holy Spirit away. The psalmist wants to know joy again and to be useful to the Lord in telling others the way of truth. He is appalled at the root and cause of his sin and seeks again the salvation of the Lord in His forgiving power. He has examined himself and has dealt with the cause and root motivations behind the sinful act.

Sacrifice is no good. God requires a broken and contrite heart before him without art of fakery. God does not want sacrifice but obedience and the praise of our lips made righteous by Him. When our lives are right with God then we can enjoy the joy of fellowship with Him and our sacrifices for His sake will mean something and be full of blessing for us and others. When the relationship with our Lord and God is restored then we can give Him our all, and God will bless us abundantly.