Psalm 51:17 (KJV)
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
In Psalm 51, King David penned his plea for forgiveness after committing adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrating her husband’s death. David emphasizes that genuine repentance requires a broken heart and a humble spirit. He acknowledges that there is nothing we can offer God to atone for our sins and highlights the importance of approaching God with humility. Despite wronging Bathsheba and her husband, David recognizes that sin is ultimately an offense against God. He earnestly seeks God’s mercy, confessing his wrongdoing and pleading for a renewed spirit, a clean heart, and the restoration of the joy of his salvation. The Psalm emphasizes that the foremost desire of God is for individuals to recognize and acknowledge their own sinfulness. When we align with God’s perspective on the severity of our sin, we initiate the process of reconciling with Him. Failure to admit, rationalize, or excuse the sin within our hearts hinders our return to God’s presence, for repentance serves as the gateway to freedom. When our spirit is broken, and our heart is contrite, we invite God to cleanse us and restore us to a right relationship with Him.
A broken spirit and a contrite heart refer to a state of humility before God, where we acknowledge our sinfulness and recognize the goodness of God. This acknowledgment of our sin represents an act of submission to God’s authority, leading to spiritual renewal and the opportunity to demonstrate grace and imitate Christ. Isaiah 66:2 says, “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” God is more interested in the humble one, with a contrite heart, and trembles at His Word. We serve a God who is Perfect and Just. This is why we must accept His perfection to access His profit. The truth is, God only shows Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are contrite, perfect towards Him, and tremble at His Word. However, many believers keep wondering why some people get speedy attention from God while others struggle without anything to show for their efforts. Disobedience, Immoral practices, false religion, corruption, cultism, witchcraft, and other anti-Christ activities, which the Word of God is highly against, are prevalent in our society. Sinners are now comfortable in the House of God with their sins intact. However, as believers, God is watching how we react to His Word to release His Blessings to us, and that change of heart starts with repentance.
Beloved, only a heart broken before the Lord, deeply convicted of your own unworthiness, can offer the sacrifice of a broken heart. So approach God with humility and seek His forgiveness, for your heart towards God determines your part with God. Your attitude towards God determines His action towards you. Make up your mind to be humble in life. God resists the proud but lifts the humble. It is the Will of God for the world to experience His massive move, only be humble. God fights for the humble(you can ask Moses). God wants you to have a humble spirit that is willing to change, as well as to have a reverence and love of His Word, which reveals the essence of truth (John 17:17). Today, look to the Cross, embrace His Grace, exalt His Name, study the Word of God daily and do what it says, confidently walk in the freedom from sin. As you do this, you will become more aware of the weight of your sin against God while experiencing an overflow of His unending, abundant mercies. Remember, when your heart is broken over sin, God restores it with the invaluable forgiveness generously offered by Jesus Christ at the Cross.
O Lord, help me to always have a humble and repentant heart in Jesus’ Precious Name.