We encourage you to read this devotion
three times a day. Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning
reflection question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the
noon question for reflection. For the evening, take time to ponder how
this has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening
question. We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we
invite you to pray what is in your heart.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgement.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
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 crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:1-17
1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgement.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
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 crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
This is the Ash Wednesday Psalm many
churches are using this year. It is likely that some of you will hear or have
heard this Psalm read today. It is a beautiful Psalm that captures the heart of
Lent and our faith. We come to God when we are dirty, broken, and sinful. We
ask God to have mercy, to cleanse us, to restore us, and God does. Lent is a
season of remembering what God did for us, what we could never do for ourselves.
It is a season to celebrate God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. It is also a
season to reflect on our own lives and see where we can move forward. The
psalmist asks God to purge him and clean him. Is there anything in your life
that needs to be purged for Lent? Do you have dirty spots that need to be
cleaned? How can you move closer to God this season?
Reflection Questions:
Morning: I am inviting you to come up with a new
breath pray that reflects the changes you want to experience during Lent and to
use it today. For example: “God, cleanse my soul” or “God, purge me of….” Be
creative and say this prayer all day
Noon: Take two
minutes in silence to reflect on how God can cleanse your soul
Evening: I invite
you to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to purge anything from your
life. If so, how can you remove it during Lent? Will you allow God to cleanse
your soul and restore you?
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