Psalm 43 - Becoming Clean

This is an interesting psalm. As I read the first line:

 ¹ Declare me innocent, O God!

I couldn't help but think, that only works if you are really innocent. And I had a quick flash of the mistakes I have made lately. Of course repentance is the key to seeking and receiving God's forgiveness so that you can be clean again. But then I was reading the last verse:

 ⁵ Why am I discouraged?
      Why is my heart so sad?
   I will put my hope in God!
      I will praise him again—
      my Savior and my God!

I couldn't help but wonder if possibly David knew his own shortcoming well and if his discouragement arose from the fact that he knew he wasn't innocent.

We all would like to be declared innocent, that the mistakes we have made are not really our mistakes or the sins that we know them to be. But are we really innocent? No. David had many enemies that were persecuting him throughout his life and he was certainly trying to follow God to the best of his ability, but no one is without sin. David was just as guilty as those around him and from my experience, there are days when we feel the weight of our sin and it causes us to feel discouraged. But the hope and truth of the situation is that if we go to God with repentance in our heart, God, in God's mercy, grants forgiveness. We are granted the purity of Christ, while Jesus takes on the stain of our sin.

So in those moments when you feel that discouragement, do as David and put your hope in God and sing out God's praises and you will find yourself drawing nearer to God. As you draw near and repent, you will find yourself seeking and receiving God's gift of forgiveness and you will be deemed innocent.