Psalm 51
March 21, 2021
O God our Savior, You are full of unfailing love and great compassion. And you do not despise a broken and contrite heart.
Like David, we know, Father, that we have sinned. We are aware of our offenses—the harsh words spoken in anger, the envy of others rooted in discontent, the greed for more, the pride and selfishness that are so hard to throw off. We know our failures to live up to the calling we’ve received—our tendencies to strive rather than pray, to let Your Word collect dust, to neglect justice and mercy for the poor and oppressed, to love our neighbors and hate our enemies, to seek to be served rather than to serve. We confess all this to You, Lord, and we also admit there is likely much more sin in our hearts than we are aware of.
But You are the Savior. David wanted to be cleansed with hyssop. We know that we have been cleansed by the blood of Your Son. There is no need for us to make burnt offerings because Christ has been offered in our place. Thank You that Your cross covers all of our sin and washes us pure. Thank You that our identity in You is that of saint, beloved, heir, child.
So, Lord, open our lips, and we will praise You. Restore to us, daily, the joy of our salvation, because we are so prone to lose sight of it. Remind us of all that You have done and who You have made us to be. Thank You that Your Holy Spirit lives in us, that it is You who work in us to will and to work for Your good pleasure. We pray that day by day you would be reshaping us into people whose lives fully reflect the beauty and goodness of your gospel, and that our hearts and our relationships would be marked by the joy and peace You give.
We pray also for our larger community, as the Derek Chauvin trial is underway. We pray that justice would triumph both in this particular case and in the larger systems and structures in our government and on our streets. We pray for peace and protection for those involved in the trial and for those living and working nearby, and we pray that we as Your Church can be a force for good in our cities—for justice, peace, love, and unity across all skin colors and political views. We pray that as we face areas of darkness and injustice in our culture, that it would be an opportunity for the light of Your good news to shine more brightly. And may it please You to prosper our city and build up our communities.
We continue to pray also for our pastoral search process—for discernment, clarity, and unity for the search committee, for our preparedness to be the kind of Church you call us to be and to be able to welcome a new pastor into a healthy church family, and for You to bring to us a pastor who can shepherd us well as we seek to live out the gospel in all of life, together.
We ask all of this in Jesus’ name, because of His great love, and all God’s people said, Amen