A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

Psalm 51:2, 7, “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  Recently I placed a load of laundry in the washer.  Being familiar with the regular wash cycle, I could not help but notice that half an hour later, the washer had not advanced to the rinse and spin cycles.  After returning to the utility room, I noticed that I had inadvertently selected the heavy-duty wash cycle.  This is an option that provides a lengthy, rigorous washing of clothes that have been severely stained.  The designers of the washing machine knew beforehand that there would be times when the routine wash cycle would not be sufficient to address the more indelible laundry stains.  In our Scripture lesson today, David expresses his contrition over the stains of murder and adultery that he had perpetrated on Uriah the Hittite and his wife Bathsheba.  Upon the exposure of his transgressions by Nathan the prophet, David pleads to the Lord to purge him from these iniquities.  That is, David desired for the Lord to thoroughly remove them from his character; knowing that anything less would result in a repetition of those sins and a resurfacing of the stains.  Some garments need the heavy-duty wash cycle—especially those that are engrained in our character.  But built into God’s response of mercy and grace to our earthly nature, there is a measure that can deeply cleanse.  Perhaps today you are wrestling with troublesome elements of your character that repeatedly come to the surface.  You have tried the routine cycles of “turning over a new leaf,” or self-imposed character change.  What is needed is permanent change.  This can only be achieved by submitting yourself to the power of God’s mercy and grace, and by allowing Him to recreate your nature into one that is permanently void of even the deepest character flaws.  Reforming in you a new heart that will be a testament to His life-changing power with each new day.