A CASE OF THE RUNS

No, I’m not talking about Montezuma’s Revenge, the Hershey Squirts, or any such thing—I’m talking about our choice to either run to God or from Him.

In asking for forgiveness and cleansing, confessing his guilt, and ultimately praying for God to restore him and his soul, David is doing everything he knows to do in Psalm 51 to achieve the peace that he once had and now lacks, due to his adultery and murder involvement.

It’s perfectly natural—part of our Adamic nature—to want to run from one in authority instead of to such a person.  It’s built-in to our personalities from birth.  If you don’t believe that, watch the next time you catch your young child or grandchild in the act of having done something wrong and confront them about it.  They’ll look down, deny, and then walk or run away.  The more mature path—the one that generates peace—is to run to the other, and to do so with contriteness of heart—knowing that the other knows as well as you do that humans are a fallen group, and that we only walk on water when it’s frozen.

When you goof up, admit it to another (James 5:16--Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much—KJV).

Like David, ask God to restore you—to cast your sin into the sea of forgetfulness—and if you don’t go into its waters yourself, make that an opportunity to better yourself for the future, that you don’t repeat the indiscretion you once did—the one that you remember, and He doesn’t.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 51

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
 ²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
 ³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
 ⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
 ⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
 ⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
 ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 ⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
 ⁹Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
 ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
 ¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
 ¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
 ¹³Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
 ¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
 ¹⁵O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
 ¹⁶For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
 ¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
 ¹⁸Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
 ¹⁹Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.