Have mercy upon me, o God, according to thy loving kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies block out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.
Create in me a clean heart, o God; and renew a right Spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it, that would delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, o God, thou Wilt not despise.
We have been taught that children are free from sin until they are of the age of accountability which we accept as 8 years old. Therefore our children hot date when they are baptized - old enough to know right from wrong and to repent when needed.
But for the preceding eight years we have been teaching them what is right and wrong and how to repent. "It is okay to be angry at your sister. It is not okay to hit her. We do not hit people. Now go and tell your sister you are sorry."
How many times have we spoken similar words to our children. The amazing thing is that they say "sorry", the matter is forgotten and they go out to play.
If only life could remain so simple but the truth is that the older we grow, the more damage we are capable of doing both in our own lives and in the lives of others.
At some point we all do something for which we may not even feel sorrow. We are too upset. Or eventually we do something for which we do feel sorrow but the damage has been done and no words can make it okay.
Words spoken cannot be taken back. Time cannot be reversed. Trust broken may never be regained. Life loss cannot be restored.
We are mortal. We sin. We make mistakes. We hurt each other. We are helpless to repair what we have done.
The psalmist knows this and is feeling that pain. He begins by appealing to the loving kindness of God. He is fortunate to believe in God's ultimate love. Not all do. But it is true. There is nothing we can do that can separate us from the love of God. We do that to ourselves.
The psalmist then begs - blot out my transgressions, Wash me, cleanse me.
Have you ever felt that way? You have done something and you would do anything to undo it. You wish so badly that God with his great power would wash it away, make it go away. Please don't make me have to face this moment. Blot it out!
And yet God does not do it. It is still there and you have to face it. The psalmist confesses "I acknowledge my transgression."
So what now? He wishes he could just give a burnt offering. Could I pay penance somehow? 40 hours of service at a soup kitchen? Double my tithing? What can I do to somehow make this okay?
But there is nothing that you can do. There is no outward act that can do what the Lord is hoping to see happen. He isn't looking for a short-term fix that will ease our pain. He is looking for a deep and lasting change within us - a broken and contrite heart.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.
We may not be able to reverse time and undo our mistakes but when we come to God with a broken heart, truly feeling sorrow for our sins, he will heal us. He is the great physician, the balm of Gilead, the healer of our brokenness. And he heals us with his love!
Hymn number 193 I Stand All amazed
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