“ For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”  (Psalm 51:16-17)

Look carefully and see that God is not interested in being appeased, but desires a humble and contrite heart that comes to Him in relationship.  Yes, fear of the Lord is the beginning, but in wisdom see that the Lord desires those who will learn to love as He loves.  The Lord loves whom He has created and offers salvation for those caught up in the wickedness of this age.

Lord, I do not want to give up what I think is my own, yet it really is not my own.  You have created me and everything else.  All belongs to You.  Guide me away from my corrupt heart that I would be willing to sacrifice it to You to have Your heart implanted in me.  Guide me O Lord according to Your goodness to come into the life You offer through Your salvation that I would enter that life and truly live.

Lord Jesus, You are the sacrifice that opens the way to eternal life.  In giving up myself as You gave up Yourself, I find the truth that You have come to establish an eternal relationship.  In Your grace, lead me O Lord that I would walk after You into the goodness You offer for those who are willing to come by grace into the new and eternal life.  Lead me Lord Jesus in the way I should go.  Amen.

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.”  (Psalm 51:14-15)

Any who say they carry no guilt walk in lies.  We all are unclean.  Only the Lord can clean us and He will for those who come to Him and willingly walk in His ways.  The natural reaction is to sing praise to the One who created all things.  Come then and learn from the Lord.  Let your heart learn to sung joyfully the praise of the Lord and declare His goodness to the ends of the earth.

Lord, my heart both wants this and does not want this.  I am in a struggle.  I confess some things, but hold back and pretend about others.  Bring me through the place where I play this game to the place of truth that I may now and always abide with You.  Send Your Spirit to nurture my soul that I may finish walking through the Valley of Death into Your abiding light of truth forever.

Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb who takes away the guilt of sin and forever banishes it for those who learn to love the Father.  Come lead me O Lord that I would walk in Your grace from where I am to where I need to be.  Help me learn from You how to be humble and holy.  Teach me to sing praises to You now and forever.  Guide me in the way I should go O Lord and then help me to walk that way.  Amen

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.”  (Psalm 51:12-13)

Sustain.  We ebb and flow in this world, good days and bad.  In the Lord there is the promise of being consistent.  That consistency, shines like a lamp in a world of darkness.  To have the joy of the soul restored and a willing spirit to live for the Lord is the promise of salvation for all.  Take upon yourself the salvation of the Lord and come into His holy presence and walk in His salvation.

Lord I hear these words and I like them, but then I walk in the way of sinners and their darkness is my darkness.  Lord, lift me up and sustain me now and forever that I may join in shining the light of Your glory in a dark world.  Guide me in the way of truth that I may now and forever abide in You as You abide in me knowing that only in You is their life and light, hope and a future.

Lord Jesus, Light of the world.  You have come in this world of darkness to bring the grace we need to be lifted up into the Father’s eternal presence.  You are the hope of joy in a weary world of flashing darkness.  Open my eyes to see first the glimmer, then continue to open them that they may learn to receive full light.  Bring me along Your path Jesus that I may be fully restored.  Amen.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”  (Psalm 51:10-11)

For those who are liturgical, this familiar passage, offered as an offertory, speaks the need we all have that our gifts would be a sacrifice of the heart and not just a motion we go through.  Knowing that it is our hearts toward Him in all things that the Lord is after, we do well to meditate on His presence and the offer of grace we have received.  Do not take it for granted.

Lord, throughout Scripture, You have made the offer of grace if we will turn to You.  Help me to take this matter to the heart that I would meditate on Your Word day and night and realize that in You alone is there hope and a future.  Lead me O Lord and grant by grace that I would follow.  Renew daily the need I have and the means You give that I would continue the journey.

Lord Jesus, You are the one who cleans the heart from the inside out.  Help me see that in You alone and by Your grace alone is this possible.  I cannot, but You can.  Fill me with the presence of Your Spirit and day by day, renew in me a right spirit that looks to You, the author and finisher of my faith, as the guide, source, means and hope of the future.  Lead me Lord Jesus where I should go.  Amen.

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have broken rejoice.  Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.”  (Psalm 51:7-9)

Where we start, and our call to where we have been invited, are two different places.  We must make the journey from where we are to where we are going.  The contrite heart and the one who repents begins the journey.  You have been invited upon this journey and it is ever deeper, for who can know the depth and breadth of the sin the lurks under the shadow?  Come to the Lord and He will make you clean.

Lord, bolstered by those around me, I often hide and believe I am better than most, yet it is not better, but perfection that You desire.  Guide me along the paths of righteousness for Your namesake that I would walk where You lead.  Guide me in the way I should go and help me follow where Your Spirit leads.  Make me whiter than snow through Your grace that Your will would be done.

Lord Jesus, You have come to prepare the way for all those who would follow in grace where You lead.  Guide me O Lord in the way I should go and keep me from veering from the path You have before me.  Teach me to trust in all that You have promised and to stop second guessing where I am and where I need to go.  Lead me Lord and grant grace for me to follow.  Amen.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.  Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.”  (Psalm 51:5-6)

Where we begin is the same for all of us.  Yes, we may try to pretend that it is not so, but we all were born in a world steeped in sin.  What the Lord desires is for us to come into the truth, to know the truth and be set free from the bondage of this world.  You go, you do not go, that you can determine, but the invitation has been given.  He will bring you to know wisdom.

Lord, lead me on the path away from sin, death and the devil and to the path of seeking wisdom.  Keep me from wandering in meaningless circles that I may forever hold fast to the eternal truth You have revealed for the ages.  Guide me by Your Spirit to seek the better portion and leave behind the way of the world into which I was born.  Keep me from denial and help me live truth.

Lord Jesus, Word Incarnate and the One who has introduced wisdom into the world, guide me by Your grace to live the life to which I have been called.  Help me see more clearly the ways of this world and the alternatives You grant by grace for those who follow You.  Lead me in the way I go and remove the obstacles before me that would hinder me from learning wisdom from You.  Amen.

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.”  (Psalm 51:3-4)

Against the Lord have we sinned.  Yes, but what about sins against another?  All sin is ultimately against the Lord, which is why Jesus was able to forgive sins.  He forgave not only what was against others, but because all sin is ultimately against Him, He was able to forgive us.  This is why there was puzzlement that He forgave sins.  Yes, God forgives and His forgiveness is complete.

Lord, I have sinned against You even when I have sinned against my neighbor.  Help me I pray to live life in repentance that I would see that there are no small sins, but only sins against You.  Lead me to see my heart changed to be so intimate with You that I never forget this simple principle.  Lead me to live life righteously and teach me to look to You always and for all things.

Lord Jesus, the magnitude of what You have done is greater than I can begin to imagine.  Help me, I pray, to see in You the hope of glory and the truth of the grace I need.  Lead me in truth so that I may forever hold fast to what You have done from the cross.  Lead me today and always to know that against You only have I sinned, but the by repentance You will restore me to wholeness.  Amen.

“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”  (Psalm 51:1-2)

I want to think that my sins are not so bad.  Yet in Your sight, anything less that the perfection You created is pure iniquity.  You declare the Way for those who would turn to You that You would blot out transgression and wash thoroughly all who come through grace into salvation.  The invitation is made by grace and You have declared Your intent for all to hear.

God, You are gracious and Your ways are so far above our ways that who can understand them.  Yet, it is not for destruction that we have been created, but in love and mercy, You pave the way for those who will follow Your provision.  Guide my heart to learn and listen to the way You have established and then help me to follow.  You have given the words of eternal life for any who would hear.

Lord Jesus, in You is the hope of the ages.  In spite of all the sin in the world, for which the world is already judged, You have come to offer grace and salvation.  Lead me in the way You have established that I may go the way of Your leading.  Help me look to You for all that is needed that I may walk with You.  Guide me by Your Spirit to learn and live according to the Father’s will.  Amen.

“These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.  “Now consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.   “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.””  (Psalm 50:21-23)

For a time, people seem to get away with mocking the Lord.  But they will never get away with mocking the One who made all things.  For a time, so it seems, but time runs out and then all will face their Maker.  Do not be as the fools of the earth who make such mockery, but learn from the Lord, for He is kind, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The Lord offers full life to those who come to Him.

Lord, help me learn to be thankful in all circumstances.  I too have been caught up in the ways of the world and do not react thankfully to situations.  Lord help me learn to sacrifice without expecting a reward.  Help me to be content without expecting more.  Let me walk in Your ways that I may see Your ways and know the truth of life, liberty and salvation.  Teach me to be like You.

Lord Jesus, You have come that all who turn to You would be taught the way of eternal life.  Guide me O Lord in the way I should go and then by Your grace, enable me to go there.  Help me now and always to listen to Your Word and then help me to put it into action in my life.  Through all things, keep my eyes upon You by the power of the Spirit that I would learn to be faithful.  Amen.

“You let your mouth loose in evil and your tongue frames deceit.   “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.”  (Psalm 50:19-20)

It is not what goes in the mouth, but what comes out that defiles and destroys.  What is in your heart is revealed in what comes out of your mouth.  Take care to see the wickedness that is a part of this generation that has polluted your thinking.  Turn to the Lord and He will clean you from the inside out.  See that the Lord who saves will bring you to where you need to be.

Lord, I may pretend to the world which sees me, but You know my heart.  You know the things that go on inside of me and the ways in which I think and speak that are not pleasing in Your sight.  Guide me by grace to repent and come before You willing to be cleaned that I may speak what is right and fitting.  Lead me in Your ways O Lord and through Your Spirit help me to follow.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is to walk in this world in the midst of all its strife.  By Your example and through Your grace, lead me to live as You lived in this world holding fast to what is true and being faithful to the Father’s will.  May I learn from You to do the Father’s will in and through all things knowing that I shall become like You just as the Word promises.  Amen.