Sept 3rd, 2021: Psalm 51: 7-9
"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity."
King David now asked God to cleanse him. All of the stains of our evil deeds will be purged by that act of cleansing. High priests used hyssop (a plant in ceremonial cleansing) in that process. We will not ask God to cleanse us until we can acknowledge the gravity of our sinful acts. We have not seen many solemn acknowledgments of wrongdoings from our leaders these days. We only hear denials and excuses.
The absence of both godly and courageous leadership has been the real challenge for many nations. When leaders fail to lead with godly examples, there is very little chance for people to feel joy and gladness. None of our bones has been crushed because we are excited by the hope that we have for our nations. Many of our bones have been crushed because of hopeless ungodliness.
Someone told me recently that there is so much anger everywhere these days. What happened to joy and gladness? Maybe it is about time for us to consider repentance as a way of moving forward. God will not be present when we choose to go against Him. We will not fair well if we are content with our iniquity.