Light

“The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.” Psalm 51:17

David in his repentance of adultery and murder pens this psalm.  Broken and humbled by the weight of his sin, he prays this verse to the Lord.  Earlier in the psalm he acknowledges his sin is against of God. He pleads with God to cleanse his heart, to create a new spirit within him, to restore the joy of salvation and to give him a willing spirit.  David is humble before the Lord, broken.  He knows his sin has broken his relationship with God.  He knows his heart is darkened and cold.  His sin has confined him to place where he no longer sees or feels the Lord the source of his freedom.    

I think to understand this we have to closely examine our relationship with God.  If I am sitting in a cold dark room it is very difficult for me to see I am dirty, although I know I am in need of warmth.  But as the light breaks through the window and shines on me it warms me, and the intensity of the light helps me see just how dirty I am.  In fact I can see everything around me is also dirty.  As I stand in the light and warmth of Christ, my sin exposed.  I can do one of two things at this moment and it will depend on the desires of my heart.  Do I earnestly desire to stay in the light and warmth of the Son or do I close the window blind and be miserably cold.  Only God can cleanse me of my sin, only God can put a right spirit within me, only God can give me a heart to desire the light and warmth He alone can provide.  Against Him and Him alone I have sinned and He alone can forgive me.  It is when the reality of total dependency on God breaks my heart and humbles me to ask for forgiveness, can my sacrifice be pleasing to the Lord and His warm and light can flood my heart, filling me with the joy of His salvation.  

Lord give us clean hearts and clean hands, forgive us of our sin.  Help us to realize of total dependency upon You and You alone.  Help us to live in the light and joy of your salvation.  Most of all Lord use us to bring that light of Jesus Christ to others.  Amen