40 Days of Prayer, Day 27
Day 27, Friday, September 16
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. Psalm 51:12-13
A Contrite Heart and a Concern for Others
In the confession of Psalm 51, in the midst of David’s heartfelt contrition, David not only asked God to restore the joy of his salvation, but also to sustain a willing spirit within him. Willing spirit for what? David requested a willing spirit in order to free others trapped in the pain and sorrow of human sin. A contrite heart produces brokenness over our own sin. A contrite heart also produces a brokenness for others. Just as God pursued David through the prophet Nathan, so he pursues transgressors and sinners through us. We are the brokenhearted that have been turned to the pursuers of the brokenhearted for God’s sake. We see this displayed most clearly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He, who unlike David and the rest of us, is absolutely perfect. Even still, He empties Himself in order to save those who are completely empty. Jesus told His followers in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Unlike us, He is only truly holy One and yet He allows Himself to be broken in order to accomplish His mission of seeking and saving those who are by nature unholy. We see this incredible contrast in the life of Christ. We see in Christ the holy power of God combined with the humility of the lowest servant.
James Stewart, the Scottish Theologian described the juxtaposition of Christ’s divinity and humanity in this way: He was the meekest and lowliest of all the sons of men, yet he spoke of coming on the clouds of heaven with the glory of God. He was so austere that evil spirits and demons cried out in terror at his coming, yet he was so genial and winsome and approachable that the children loved to play with him, and the little ones nestled in his arms. His presence at the innocent gaiety of a village wedding was like the presence of sunshine. No one was half so compassionate to sinners, yet no one ever spoke such red hot scorching words about sin. A bruised reed he would not break, his whole life was love, yet on one occasion he demanded of the Pharisees how they ever expected to escape the damnation of hell. He was a dreamer of dreams and a seer of visions, yet for sheer stark realism He has all of our stark realists soundly beaten. He was a servant of all, washing the disciples’ feet, yet masterfully He strode into the temple, and the hucksters and moneychangers fell over one another to get away from the mad rush and the fire they saw blazing in His eyes. He saved others, yet at the last Himself He did not save. There is nothing in history like the union of contrasts which confronts us in the gospels. The mystery of Jesus is the mystery of divine personality.
If Christ, the Son of God, the infinitely holy Creator of the universe humbled Himself for others, we must follow His example. If He came to serve others, then surely we can allow God to renew a willing spirit within us so that we may serve others.
Prayer Focus
Create in me a willing spirit, Oh God. Give me compassion for those around me. Just as Christ came to seek and serve, help me to seek and serve the broken people that I will encounter today. In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
From Bunyan’s The Acceptable Sacrifice
The Word of God is an awful Word to a broken-hearted man. Solomon says, 'The word of a king is as the roaring of a lion'; and if so, what is the Word of God? for by the wrath and fear is meant the authoritative word of a king. Hence you have a remark set upon them that tremble at God's Word, they are the ones that keep among the godly; they are the ones that are apt to mourn, and to stand in the gap, when God is angry; and to turn away his wrath from a people. It is a sign the Word of God has had its place, and worked powerfully, when the heart trembles at it and is afraid, and stands in awe of it. When Joseph's mistress tempted him, he was afraid of the Word of God. 'How then can I do this great wickedness, ' said he, 'and sin against God?' He stood in awe of God's Word, did not do it, because he kept in remembrance what a dreadful thing it was to rebel against God's Word. When Eli heard that the ark was taken, his very heart trembled within him; for he read by that sad loss that God was angry with Israel, and he knew the anger of God was a great and terrible thing. When Samuel went to Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled; for they feared that he came to them with some sad message from God, and they had had experience of the dread of such things before (Gen 39:7-9; 1 Sam 4:13, 16:1- 4).