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21 Days Fast & Pray - Day 1 : Personal Confession and Affirmations in Christ

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21 Days Fast & Pray - Day 1 : Personal Confession and Affirmations in Christ

A. Devotion - Psalm 51:10

David's mind was a devastating maelstrom of remorse and self-disgust. The prophet Nathan had looked at him square in the face and pronounced the evil that David had committed - he had slept with another man's wife, and then sent her husband to his death (2 Samuel 11).

How could he, an adulterous murderer, continue being king? how could he ever stand before the Lord and show his face again? And yet, all was not lost. Nathan said to David, "The Lord has put away your sin" (2 Samuel 12:13).

However, now we are faced with a new dilemma. How could God ever pass over David's awful sins? The answer is clear to us - his terrible sins would be covered by the blood of the coming Christ, who wouldn't be born for over 40 more generations.

Although the amazing truth of the Gospel may not have been immediately apparent to David at the time, what was clear to him was the unbelievable depths of God's forgiveness. Even if David could not foresee the coming Christ, he saw clearly again how amazing God is and that revelation washed over him in a deluge of emotional repentance. Faced with the unending love of God, all David could do was lay his heart bare before his Creator. And out of that came Psalm 51.

As we think about how God's forgiveness broke David's heart and revived him through new grace, the heartfelt confessions of Psalm 51 challenge us to consider our own transgressions. Let us pray these apt words of David for ourselves and praise God for His mercies. Let us remind our souls once again of the beauty of a broken spirit and a contrite heart, and how our Saviour will heal the broken-hearted and lift our spirits as we seek Him each day.

B. Application / Self-reflection

  1. Take a moment to reflect on this past week or month. Are there things you need to bring before God and seek His mercy?
  2. In the same spirit of humility and repentance,  reflect on the loving-kindness of God in your life and how He has "put away your sin". Let your gratitude lead your prayer.

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