Cast me not away from your presence.

Psalm 51: 7-12

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Cast me not away from your presence.

On one hand, I can’t imagine how desperate a place David must have been to say this. On the other hand, I certainly can. When we knowingly run headfirst into sin and then the shame and regret and remorse sets in. Not to mention all of the other consequences.

A true confession offers a humble position with no attempt to wiggle out of what comes next. The guilty knows that they deserve to be cast out.

We know David wrote this Psalm as a confession after he sinned with Bathsheba. And it is a Psalm that is used in prayerful ways in churches around the world.

Who or what is my Bathsheba?

We all have at least one. One place in our hearts or lives that is weak spot. A scenario where we regularly trip up. A situation where we are vulnerable to the grip of sin.

Lord, open my eyes to see the seriousness of my sin. Let me recognize the gravity and let me recognize that Jesus’ work on the cross allows me to be in your presence. Thank you for bridging the gap for me. Amen.