FORGIVE ME, I HAVE MESSED UP, I HAVE SINNED, Psalm 51

A Prayer for When You Keep Making the Same Mistake

Savior of the Broken, today I feel like Peter– I’ve not denied you once, but again and again. I feel like the Samaritan Woman caught in my sin. I feel like Paul, with so much baggage in my past. Father, I continue to seek your forgiveness. Holy Spirit, I ask for the strength to overcome my struggle. Jesus, I ask to be fully transformed by your love– to believe in the freedom of your forgiveness. And, when I mess up again, help me not hide in shame, but give me the courage to try again. Amen.

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I Can’t Stop Messing Up

We’re often comforted when we make a mistake: No worries! We all mess up. You’ll just do better next time.

People can be quick to forgive.

Except, you don’t always do better next time. Or the time after that. Or the time after that. Sometimes, we find ourselves in the cycle of making the same mistakes– promising we’re going to do better, praying for strength, yet still finding ourselves hurting the same people or ourselves the same way, over and over again.

If this sounds familiar, you aren’t alone.

Though we try, and often we fail, God’s love for us can and does prevail. His forgiveness even covers all the parts of ourselves we try to will away.

And, just like he did with Peter, we have opportunity after opportunity to go before him, not for condemnation, but to proclaim our love and receive his kind forgiveness.

“Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’

He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’

The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep…’ Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’” (John 21:16-17,19b).

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Psalm 51

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had sinned with Bathsheba and had her husband killed.

51 Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt

And cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my wrongdoings,

And my sin is constantly before me.

4 Against You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is evil in Your sight,

So that You [b]are justified [c]when You speak

And [d]blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in guilt,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire truth in the [e]innermost being,

And in secret You will make wisdom known to me.

7 [f]Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

[g]Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 [h]Let me hear joy and gladness,

Let the bones You have broken rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins

And wipe out all my guilty deeds.

10 Create [i]in me a clean heart, God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach wrongdoers Your ways,

And sinners will [j]be converted to You.

14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation;

Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

15 Lord, [k]open my lips,

So that my mouth may declare Your praise.

16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You do not take pleasure in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.

18 By Your favor do good to Zion;

[l]Build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then You will delight in [m]righteous sacrifices,

In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then [n]bulls will be offered on Your altar.