Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Apostle Tom <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:55:27 -0600
To: <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Morning Manna (Feb. 24); BP: Ps. 51; RBTTY: Mk. 4:21-41; Num. 7-8
February 24 “On Praying for Cleansing”
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness—according unto the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquities and cleanse me from my sin.”
Psalm 51:1-2
Sincerely praying this way is the prerequisite to revival and restoration.
Open, honest confession that springs from broken-hearted contrition—that’s the way David was praying that day when he penned today’s Manna. We all know how he’d committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for her husband to be killed in battle (II Sam. 11:1-25). And, it wasn’t until the prophet, Nathan, confronted him that he came clean with the Lord (12:1-12) and repented (vv.13-14).
Even though the Lord heard his prayer and forgave him, the child born to David and Bathsheba out of their adulterous tryst died seven days after birth (vv.15-23). Nathan had prophesied of this coming “wage of sin,” which shows that we can be forgiven of sin, but still reap its “residual consequences” in the future. Thankfully, later on they’d have another son, Solomon, who’d become a mighty vessel of the Lord (vv.24-25).
There’s no doubt that today’s Manna was written in response to the above sequence-of-events. His cry for God’s “mercy” and “cleansing” clearly reveal his great anguish of mind and agony of soul. But, thankfully, He knew Whom to turn to and what to ask for.
So often, dear Pilgrim, we forget to turn to the Lord after we’ve strayed from Him like stupid sheep or knowingly rebelled against Him like the prodigal son (Lk. 15:1-7, 11-24). Instead of running to the Cross and pouring our hearts out to the Heavenly Father, we engage in “guilt atonement,” whereby we try to “make it up to God” or allow the evil one to continually “accuse us in the courtroom of our conscience” (Rev. 12:9-10).
Either way, the result is still guilt, instead of grace. . .agony instead of anointing. . . defeat, discouragement, depression, etc., instead of delight. . .and a sense of estrangement instead of ecstasy. That’s why the best solution is praying the way David did. Only by “acknowledging our transgressions” (v.3) and confessing “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight” (v.4) can we find cleansing and forgiveness. Only then.
And, we must remember that confession IS NOT repentance.
Confession is acknowledging our sins and agreeing with God that they’re wrong. Repentance is TURNING FROM our sins and turning to the Lord. Thus, the bottom-line is this: There can be no cleansing and forgiveness without repentance. Period.
We’d do well to spend considerable time reading and pondering this heartfelt prayer of David. . .for the Lord Jesus is the only One Who can “make us hear joy and gladness…blot out all of our iniquities. . .create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. . .restore unto us the joy of His salvation and uphold us with His willing Spirit” (vv.8-12). Why not stop and pray right now?
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