Hope When You are Broken

This psalm is a prayer of repentance written by David after the prophet Nathan came to speak to him, following his adultery with Bathsheba. When reading through the whole psalm, one can sense David`s absolute heartbreak over his actions and sins. In verse 3 of Psalm 51, he writes: ‘For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me’. David admitted that he had sinned and brought the whole situation before the Lord. He poured his heart out before the Lord and begged Him to cleanse him, forgive him and to have mercy on him. He had a deep, intense longing to have his relationship with the Lord restored again and knew the only way was to turn to Him in humility and honesty.

‘Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken’ (Psalm 62:5-6).

David could have reacted very differently - he could have denied his actions as sinful and claimed that he couldn`t stop himself from sinning. Or he could have accused Nathan of disrespecting him as the king. David could also have chosen to turn away from the Lord in self-pity, unworthiness before the Lord and guilt. He could have decided that the Lord would in any case turn away from him after all that he had done.

Fortunately David chose to run to God. He had learnt to know his Father in heaven as a God of love and mercy, a God who will never turn away from a broken and contrite heart. David had learnt to know God as someone he could trust with his life (especially when he was running from Saul). He was heartbroken by his own sin towards this God that he loved so much. Throughout the Psalms, we read that David refers to the Lord as his rock and his fortress - his safe place and his refuge.

In many of the following psalms we read that David found peace and restoration in the Lord; the consequences of his sin didn’t vanish, but the Lord walked with him through it all and still brought about His plans and purposes for David’s life. Even today David’s life is still a testimony of hope for all. There is healing and restoration for everyone in Christ - choose today to turn to Him. ‘In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul’ (Psalm 94:19).

Prayer: Dear Lord, today I choose to run to You with all that I am. I bring to You all my sins and beg You for forgiveness. Thank You that no sin is too big or too terrible for You to forgive. Please walk with me through every difficult area in my life and guide me as to how I should allow Your restoration to take place. Thank You that absolutely nothing can separate me from Your love Lord. Amen.