Prayers of Repentance
We have come to the final prayer type that I wish to discuss, and I have to say it is probably the most difficult type for Christians. We have discussed the easier prayers like adoration and thanksgiving, prayers that focus on praising God. We have seen heartfelt prayers asking for deliverance, petition and intersession, prayers that show our reliance upon God to act on our behalf. And we have noted prayers that ask God to grant us wisdom and guidance. Some of these prayers are easier for Christians to complete because they are out of an act of joy, typically when things are going well. However, today we will discuss prayers of repentance. How do you pray when you know you have messed up and caused a fracture in your relationship to God?
One person comes to mind whenever I think of prayers of repentance, perhaps it is because he so often messed up and had fallen short of what God wanted. Despite his many, many mess ups David was still described as a man after God’s own heart, “22 After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” Acts 13:22. Maybe because of this fact, knowing that David often fell short of doing God’s will but is still described by God with such honor, that when David makes prayers of repentance it so often hits home.
“1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 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. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. 18 May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.” Psalm 51
In a commentary by Matthew Henry, David pens this psalm so that it would become “As a pattern to others, both to bring them to repentance by his example and to instruct them in their repentance what to do an what to say. Being converted himself, he thus strengthens his brethren (Luke 22:32), and for this cause he obtained mercy, 1 Tim 1:16.” This prayer occurs after David is confronted by Nathan with the sin David committed with Bathsheba. This prayer of repentance can be broken into three parts. First, we see a prayer for forgiveness of sin while also recognizing where sin comes from (verses 1-6). Next, there is a prayer for renewal (verses 7-12). Finally, we see that there is an offering of service that can only come after one confesses their sins (verses 14-19).
David begins his prayer by confessing his sin and asking for grace and mercy. David recognizes that it is only God who can heal him from his inequities. It is important to note that David does not point out all the things that he has done in God’s honor, David does not rely on anything that he completed but instead focuses on the free gift of mercy that God offers. David knows that there is nothing that he can do that will make God forgive him, there is no act, sacrifice, or work that can earn God’s mercy. Instead when we are faced with our own inequities we need to fall before the Lord and simply ask Him to remember us and His promises of forgiveness.
David recognizes that from his birth he had a sinful nature. This is true with everyone, we are all born with sinful nature and it is when we allow this nature to take control that we find we need to come before God with a spirit of repentance. When this occurs, it is important to remember that when we ask God for forgiveness He removes our transgressions, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:10-12
After David acknowledges where sin came from and confesses the sin in question, we see him offer a prayer of renewal. “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:10-12
David comes before God knowing that He is the only one that can cleanse David from his sins. David is showing a spirit of humility while recognizing God’s sovereignty. He not only asks to be cleansed, but also that God grants him a spirit willing to listen and the joy of knowing that his transgressions are forgiven. This is important when we find ourselves needing prayers of repentance. We need to remember that God deals with our transgressions absolutely and we need to ask that He replaces our sinful nature with a nature that is willing to listen to His Word. When this occurs, we will find joy in obedience.
Finally, this psalm ends with David offering his service to God. This is not saying that we need to complete certain acts to have our sins forgiven, in fact verse 16 makes that point very clear. What David is pointing out here is that he knows that God has forgiven his sins, this knowledge allows David to joyfully sing of the works of God. There is a great weight lifted when we come before God with prayers of repentance. Before we are carrying around our sin and shame, being buried down by it. Afterwards, we are restored and the shame is lifted from us by the only one who has the power to forgive, God. Oh what a joy it is to know that God will forgive us of our sin! However, this means we have the responsibility to come to God and acknowledge that we cannot fix ourselves but rather need His unfailing love, mercy, and Him to clean us of all sin. What a friend we have in Jesus Christ, who can triumphantly love us, offer mercy, and clean us of all unrighteousness and truly make a prayer of repentance a prayer worth praying.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex