Psalm 51

I stayed up until 3am this morning! I was finishing a book and spending some time in prayer. I am tired of justifying my time in prayer as time spent with God and I am done using this as an excuses to not read my Bible everyday. Today is the day that not reading my Bible everyday ends! I have no excuse why I don't. So today I read Psalm 51. I love reading from the Message these days, it gives me a little different perspective on God's word.

Psalm 51 A David psalm, after he was confronted by Nathan about the affair with Bathsheba. 1Generous in love--God, give grace! Huge in mercy--wipe out my bad record. 2Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. 3I know how bad I've been;my sins are staring me down. 4You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you;whatever you decide about me is fair.5 I've been out of step with you for a long time,in the wrong since before I was born.6 What you're after is truth from the inside out me, then; conceive a new, true life. 7Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.8Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,set these once-broken bones to dancing. 9Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health.10God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. 11Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. 12Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! 13Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. 14Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,and I'll sing anthems to your life--giving ways. 15Unbutton my lips, dear God;I'll let loose with your praise. 16Going through the motions doesn't please you,a flawless performance is nothing to you. 17I learned God--worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice. 18Make Zion the place you delight in, repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls. 19Then you'll get real worship from us,acts of worship small and large, Including all the bulls they can heave onto your altar!