We continue praying through the psalms on Wednesdays and this one is certainly worth praying through. One of the more famous psalms, it is written after Nathan comes to David and confronts him with his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah (one of his mighty men, no less!)
David's reaction is telling - instead of defensiveness or denial, he goes right to the source: confession and catechism (Rick P's words.) First David confesses his sin, exposing the truth to those who already knew it, but no longer hiding from God or man. David then goes on to remind himself what is true of God - He is merciful, He is gracious, He is righteous. The beauty of this is that David comes to God knowing that by law he deserves to die or at the very least lose his office of king. As we know, God neither demands David's death or is resignation, but breaks the "rules" to forgive David. The king still reaped terrible consequences for his actions, but the act of forgiveness was a powerful one.
Forgiveness is powerful for two reasons: It restores relationships, mending what was broken and it restores (or reaffirms) calling, God's job placement is still in effect. Sin breaks our relationship with God and destroys our effectiveness in our calling. Forgiveness restores both, although some consequences cannot be undone and what gets put in motion can be difficult to stop. God does not shield us from consequences, but He is able to turn our greatest failures into His victories. Need an example? Jesus' lineage is traced back to David - through Bathsheba.
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