Courting Christ: Be quick to say I’m sorry

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness. According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. – Psalm 51:1-2

We instinctively know that any relationship in which no one is willing to admit wrong and apologize is doomed for failure. So, let’s learn a lesson from the life of King David.

David ben Jesse was a young shepherd who very nearly missed greatness. He was so humble and lowly that when the prophet Samuel announced that one of Jesse’s sons would be anointed king, no one even thought to call David.

But after God firmly rejected every other son, David was finally brought in and the Lord expressed His approval. David did not seek leadership; it was thrust upon him. He was anointed king of Israel while there was still a king on the throne. And when the reigning king sought to kill him, David honorably refused to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed. Instead, he became best friends with his mortal enemy’s son Jonathan and began to do the job of king without the title or pay.

Years later, David was finally established as the king of Israel and began his reign by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He was so overwhelmed with joy over the visible presence of God that he danced in wild abandon.

But one day David sinned. It didn’t matter that he had served long and faithfully against terrible odds. He sinned and it came between him and God. Another prophet by the name of Nathan confronted David who instantly confessed what he’d done.

There were still consequences to his sin. But during the process of his restoration, David wrote the beautiful Psalm 51 from which we may learn how to be restored when we sin. The following principles work equally well in any relationship.

First, we must recognize the fact that we need God’s grace and loving kindness (v.1). We should ask for the forgiveness of our sins (v.2) remorsefully naming it for what it is (v.3). Then we should declare an unconditional surrender to God’s will and judgment (v.4) throwing ourselves upon His mercy. We need to express our innately sinful state and total inability to change on our own (v.5) yet commit ourselves to the process of change (vv.6-7). This process includes the pursuit of truth, wisdom, restitution and right living.

After having done these things, we then may articulate our hope for renewed joy (v.8), imputed purity (v.9), practical purity (v.10), restored relationship (v.11) and spiritual empowerment (v.12). Only then may we rededicate ourselves to giving God the glory (vv.13-15). But in doing so we must make sure that we don’t fall into Cain’s sin of offering the Lord what WE want and then pouting when He doesn’t like it. We must seek what pleases Him (v.16). Not doing so is what got us into trouble in the first place.