Then Shalt Thou Be Pleased

Psalms 51:15-19 (KJV)
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

This Psalm is so famous for its connection to David’s sin with Bathsheba. David’s confession is powerful indeed but there is another lesson to be learned. David knew the way to make right with God was not through religious deeds. A sacrifice offered for wrong reasons and with a wrong heart would be useless. He would happily have done it if it would have worked. He simply knew it wouldn’t.
There needed first to be an attitude of praise
There needed to be a broken and contrite heart
There needed to be a God-given place of worship
Then and only then would God be pleased with the sacrifices.

We have been restricted from church today. This is a perfect time for us to evaluate what church is and why we attend.
If we will learn to praise God now, perhaps our praises and songs in the church will be more meaningful to the Lord.
If we allow God to break our hearts now, perhaps our prayers and worship in the church will bring Him more pleasure.
If we stop making church about us and realize it is His church, perhaps He will allow us to return.

We haven’t done anything (much) wrong in our church practice so far. But perhaps we do need to re-examine our motives and our heart.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word.
Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

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Psalms 51:15-19 (KJV) Then Shalt Thou Be Pleased

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