28 14 Habits of Highly Effective Disciples
Ongoing Conversation and Relationship (Psalm 51:10–12)
51:10. Verse 10 parallels verse 7 and expands the description of God’s
cleansing action. Another way to communicate this would be: “Take me
back to what I was intended to be. Use your cleansing power to clean
away the dirt, malevolence, and the ill will in my life.”
51:11. God is not capricious. Requesting that God not cast him away is
the psalmist’s recognition of the need for a continuing relationship with
God. “Stay close. Remind me of the daily, and at times, the moment-to-
moment need to confess to you and realize the forgiveness you offer.”
51:12. “Restore” implies that something remains worth repairing and
then is renovated to its original luster and beauty. A re-elevated state of
being occurs. “Sustain” expresses the desire for an ongoing preservation
process.
The Results of Being Forgiven (Psalm 51:13–15)
51:13 –14. The psalmist articulates the thoughts of Peter to the beggar—
“.. .but what I have I give to you.”— a quality of life (Acts 3:1–11). The
psalmist promises a “God-quality” of life will be delivered—good news,
a new, re-created life, forgiveness, and a new start. What the psalmist has
learned, he will teach to others and they will return to God. What the
psalmist knows and feels will be turned into lyrics—forming a song of
deliverance, redemption, and abundant life—sung everywhere he goes.
Living My Faith in Public (Psalm 51:16–19)
51:16 –17. Years of ritual practice without understanding and a focus on
merely completing sacrifices, had produced a culture that was religious
but not dedicated to Jehovah God. The psalmist provides a mirror for
us to use as we consider the religious rituals in our contemporary soci-
ety and church culture. Often these practices lack substance and fail to
draw us to God. A truly sacrificial and humble heart before God pro-
vides the opportunity for authentic worship and a life that loves God
and neighbor.