It is inevitable that, when one regularly uses an article of clothing, said article is going to need regular washing as well. Sort of like life.
I love Psalm 51. The completeness of its description of my sinfulness gives me comfort someone other than me has been in my position - someone else has sinned grievously, blatantly, deliberately against God, someone who had been so abundantly blessed one would've thought they would not have wanted anything more than they'd already been given, none of which they had the right to in the first place, all of which they'd received because of the love of, and by the hand of, the God whom they had then rejected in their sinfulness. And here they were - asking for forgiveness.
We know God forgave David. The psalm tells us it wasn't so much the material sacrifices that God wanted from David - it was the humbling of heart, the admission of guilt and, consequently, the recognition of God's sovereignty over one's life. What a tremendous reassurance, this! - but it doesn't stop there...
What the Bible doesn't tell us is this - it doesn't tell us David ceased to sin after he received God's forgiveness. I suspect he did, and had need for this prayer more than once. And I believe God forgave him every time. And that is why, in my persistent sinfulness, I love Psalm 51. It is the assurance that, as I use my life, I will inevitably stain it - and I can wash, rinse, and repeat as needed. Thank You, God.
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