Whenever I go out to work in my garden in the summer, I come back feeling grubby, grimy, and grungy. My skin feels sticky with the sunscreen I put on before I ventured out. I’m smelly from the necessary insect spray. Sweat has trickled down my back. I’ve got soil under my fingernails, mud in my socks, and, more than likely, a little dirt on my nose from when I tried to bat away a bug. When I come back into the house, I can hardly wait to get into the shower to wash away all the muck so I can once again feel clean.
When I come into God’s holy presence, I become aware of the mud and grime in my heart. I feel the dirt of an impatient retort to my husband. I sense the stain of neglecting a hurting friend because of my busy schedule. I see the soil of a little white lie I told to get out of a volunteer position I didn’t want. The filth accumulates day after day. How do I get clean?
In one of his most quoted psalms, King David also expressed his awareness of a dirty heart. He cried out to God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV). He knew that only God could wash away the stain of sin. And he took the first step in the cleansing process by confessing his transgressions and admitting his misdeeds.
Just like a warm, soapy shower cleanses my body and leaves me feeling refreshed, going to God for a thorough cleansing of my soul leaves me spotless and renewed, clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
During the season of Lent, we can use this traditional time of reflection and contrition to examine our hearts and come to the One who can make them pure again. One way we can approach confession is to use the prayers, commands, and promises of the Bible to guide our confession time. As we meditate on these Scriptures and ask ourselves some probing questions, we may notice dirt hiding in the corners of our hearts. When we come contritely into God’s presence, the Holy Spirit can wash away every trace of grime because of Jesus’ cleansing blood.
Here are five Scriptures that help us humbly approach God. Set aside time to prayerfully read these passages. Ask the Holy Spirit to point out any obvious grime you might want to overlook. Use the reflection questions to guide your time. Rejoice in the promise that, because of Jesus, God washes the mud from your hearts so you can stand before Him clean and refreshed.
King David wrote this psalm after he made the biggest mistakes of his life. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed in battle after discovering that Bathsheba was pregnant (2 Samuel 11). At first, David ignored his sins, but God sent the prophet Nathan to point out the transgressions so that David could confess (2 Samuel 12).
You might think that sins like these could never be forgiven, that a heart like that could never be cleansed. Yet David knew God as a God of mercy, so he began his prayer with:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:1-4 ESV)
David didn’t gloss over his sin or make excuses. He knew he could only come before God for cleansing because of God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. He knew that God’s miraculous cleansing power could once again make him whiter than snow (v. 7). No matter how dirty our hearts are, God can once again make them clean.
As you read Psalm 51, consider:
What sins, big and small, have I ignored? Where does my heart feel dirty?
How have I hurt people?
How have I sinned against God?
Do I believe in Jesus’ saving power and God’s abundant mercy and forgiveness?
Praying through the Ten Commandments can reveal sins we have ignored for a long time. God gave these laws to His people, the Israelites, but they serve as a guide to practical holiness. Verses 3-8 show us how to honor God, respect His name, and prioritize our relationship with Him. Verses 9-17 teach us how to treat others in a way that respects their physical well-being, their reputations, and our interactions with them. Martin Luther suggested that we daily pray through the Ten Commandments and turn each one into instruction, thanksgiving, confession, and prayer. As we confess, we can examine how we have neglected to do the good the law commands or have committed the wrong it warns against.
As you read Exodus 20:1-17, consider:
What material goods or worldly pursuits have become counterfeit gods in my life?
How have I neglected to keep the Sabbath holy?
How have I dishonored my parents?
How have I hurt others through lust, hate, lies, or envy?
When a lawyer asked Jesus, “What is the most important commandment in the law?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” While following two laws instead of ten might sound easier, when I carefully consider these two commandments, I see how often I fail to obey them. Daily, I put myself before others. Daily, I neglect my relationship with God. Coming clean before God with my failures helps me receive His purifying power.
When you read Matthew 22:37-39, consider:
What does it mean to love God with all my heart? with all my soul? with all my mind?
How have I failed to love God in this way?
Have I loved my neighbor like I take care of myself?
In this passage, the apostle Paul encourages us to leave behind old sinful practices like sexual immorality, greed, anger, and hurtful words. Instead, we are to live lives that match our faith and practice compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and forgiveness. As we read this passage, the Holy Spirit can convict us of sins of commission— doing things we shouldn’t do—and sins of omission—neglecting to do the things we should do.
As you read Colossians 3:5-14, consider:
What sins of commission have I committed this week?
What sins of omission have I committed this week?
How have my words hurt others through slander, gossip, or lies?
How does the knowledge that Christ graciously forgives me when I confess help me to forgive others?
In this penitential psalm, King David rejoices in the blessing of forgiveness. Some commentators think this psalm may have been written after Psalm 51, for it talks about the great joy David experienced after confessing his sin and receiving God’s grace. David talks of the weight of his sin when he says, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away…day and night your hand was heavy upon me” (v. 3, 4). But he felt the burden lift when he acknowledged his sin and didn’t try to cover it up. When he confessed to God, he could shout for joy.
The psalm opens up with the great joy David felt:
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)
We can all experience this same feeling of blessed joy when we acknowledge our sin, confess, and experience the relief of having our sins covered by Jesus’ redeeming blood. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, God has erased all our sins. They no longer count against us.
When you read Psalm 32, consider:
Have I “kept silent” (v. 3) trying to hide my sin from God?
How have I experienced the weight of sin?
How does knowing that “steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord” (v. 10) help me open my heart to God?
How does the blessing of forgiven sin change my life today?
One more Scripture to consider: 1 John 1:9 reassures us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (ESV). God promises to shower our hearts with His mercy, grace, and forgiveness when we admit our wrongdoings and come to Him for a gentle but thorough scrubbing.
Take time during the weeks leading up to Easter to examine your life. And where you feel the effects of dirt and grime in your heart, confess. Ask for God’s cleansing forgiveness. Thank Jesus for paying the price for all your sins of commission and omission. Rejoice in the blessing of sins wiped out and forgotten.
Receive the joy of a clean heart.
Sharla Fritz is a Christian author and speaker who weaves honest and humorous stories into life-changing Bible study. Author of God’s Relentless Love: A Study of Hosea, Sharla writes about God’s transforming grace. You can learn more about God’s forgiveness and His gracious love, in her free resource LIVE LOVED: 5 Practices to Fully Experience God’s Relentless Love. Sharla lives in the Chicago suburbs with her amusing pastor husband. Connect with Sharla at www.sharlafritz.com.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Memedozaslan
Sharla Fritz is a Christian author and speaker who weaves honest and humorous stories into life-changing Bible study. Author of the new book Measured by Grace: How God Defines Success, Sharla writes about God’s transforming grace and unfailing love. Sharla lives in the Chicago suburbs with her amusing pastor husband. Get her FREE ebook 21 Five-Minute Soul-Rest Practices or connect with Sharla at www.sharlafritz.com and Facebook.