YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY THERE!

I think we’ve all experienced the same moment in our walk with God. We've messed up or fell into a sin that we’ve been trying to get free from or we've hurt someone else. In the aftermath, we’re flooded with shame and guilt that tears at us, pulling us away from God. We feel ashamed, disappointed and unworthy. But there comes a point where we gather ourselves enough to come back to God, heart bowed low in repentance and humility. 

Psalm 51 tells this story, where David comes humbly to God after his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. In this chapter, we can see David acknowledge that he has sinned against God and that his very nature is sinful. He begs God to forgive him and bestow favor on him again, allowing him to tell of God’s grace to everyone around him and teach others. He offers to serve God as an offering with his entire life for the rest of his days. 

Although the story of David and Bathsheba is familiar to me, this chapter really struck me. In his cries to God, David presents the perfect way to repent from our sins. Oftentimes, we get caught up in what we did and who we are WITHOUT God, but conviction from the Holy Spirit can easily turn into shame if we aren’t careful. Shame is different from conviction, and the devil can use that to distance us from God if we stay there. God knows that we are human and that we will make mistakes, but He doesn’t want that to stop us from coming to Him. In fact, God can even seek us out in those dark moments, just like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8-10). He still wants a relationship and commitment from us, and He still wants us to choose Him. It doesn’t benefit us to stay trapped in our lowest moments. Let humility and brokenness bring you closer to God, not push you away. 

After David acknowledges His sinful nature, He asks for forgiveness and asks to be changed from the inside out. We know that we cannot overcome our flesh by ourselves, and we need the Holy Spirit. When we sin, the best thing we can do is to ask God for forgiveness and the strength to be better. David says in verses 10 and 12, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” As we draw closer to God, He changes our desires, so we no longer have the urges to sin in the same way. This isn’t to say we’ll be made perfect, but we’ll want to be more like Him, so the behavior we used to indulge in doesn’t have the same draw on us. 

The last step David speaks on in this chapter is telling others about the goodness of God. Verse 13 says, “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.” God forgives us even when He doesn’t have to, extending grace and endless love to us when we don’t deserve it. All He asks is that we come to Him with humility and repentance in our hearts. God knows a heart that truly desires to be with Him, and He knows when we want to change our lives for the better. When God gives us a second chance, it should inspire us to show others His love. The best way we can show the evidence of our repentance is in the way we live our lives, which can be a testimony to others. 

Repentance isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when it's at one of the lowest points in our lives. However, Psalm 51 teaches us that we don’t have to stay in our worst mistakes. Once we repent to God, we are free to live our lives the way we are supposed to. Stop letting your fear drive you away from God and run toward Him instead. 

~Nia Roberts