Old Entry #3

Honesty is such a lonely word...
David laments to God in Psalm 51 after Nathan confronts him about his affair with Bathsheba. His heart is broken. He spends this Psalm begging for forgiveness.

“Generous in love--God, give grace! Huge in mercy--wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt; soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down. You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I've been out of step with you for a long time; in the wrong since before I was born.” Psalm 51:1-5 (MSG)

Honesty is such a lonely word.
Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard.
And mostly what I need from you.

This particular lyric was written by singer/songwriter Billy Joel and holds some profound insight into the human race. By default, everyone isn’t truthful. Honesty is hardly ever heard but it is one of the key things that God wants from us (Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 19:5, 9 and Proverbs 24:26). Being honest with ourselves and with God is sometimes one of the toughest things we’ll ever have to do. It forces us to look in the mirror and see all of the uglies that are separating us from having a deeper relationship with God. “Honesty with ourselves requires the examination of our motives in all things”.-Unknown

Psalm 51 probably wasn’t an easy conversation that David had with God. David didn’t try to make excuses for his actions. He simply came forward and said “I’m guilty”. He begs for forgiveness and then later on the chapter says:

“Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me--now let me rejoice. Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalm 51:8-12 (NLT)

Honesty and true repentance are ways we can draw closer to God. David discovered the blessing of having a true “heart to heart” with his Creator.

How long has it been since you’ve been truly honest in your prayers to God? Is there something that He’s been asking you to repent?