Confession

Confession

Q: David prayed that God would make him whiter than what?

• a. snow
• b. cotton
• c. milk

Psalm 51 is David’s confession and plea for forgiveness. He had taken Bathsheba, who was already married, as his own. (You can read more about this story in 2 Samuel 11–12.) And then David had put her husband, Uriah, on the front line in battle so he’d be killed. David had committed two serious sins, and he was sorry he’d done them.

David knew his sinful choices had hurt a lot of people, and he confessed them to God and asked for forgiveness. God forgave him, but the consequences still remained. Uriah was dead. The baby born out of David’s relationship with Bathsheba died.

It took a lot of courage and humility for David to confess his sins rather than make excuses for them or pretend it was okay for him to do those things because he was king. Sometimes we justify our sins rather than confess them. The problem with that is that sin results in guilt and in feeling far from God. The joy is gone. When David asked God to forgive his sins, he also asked him to “restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

God wants you to feel close to him and experience his peace and joy. But if you continue in sin, that won’t happen. When you turn from sin and confess it to him, he will restore the joy of your salvation just as he did for David.

For You

Read Psalm 51:7-10 aloud, and make it your prayer too.

Answer: a

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.   Psalm 51:7-10

(The Whole Story: Psalm 51)