Scripture:  Psalm 51:1-4

 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

The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.

Devotional Thought:  David cries to God from the pit of his sin.  Having broken God’s law by defiling a marriage and killing Uriah the Hittite, the man after God’s heart (David) finds himself far from God and full of consequences that will not go away.  As a matter of fact, David’s actions during this time, while forgiven, have a lasting impact upon his life and the kingdom of Israel for generations.  Hear David’s cry of acknowledgment in verse 3 of the 51st Psalm when he says, “ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”  The beginning of the journey back to God begins with the step of realizing our sin and turning around (repentance).
Prayer Focus:  As we begin this lenten season, let me encourage you to pray the prayer from Psalm 139 “Search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; point out anything in me that offends you.”