The Bible records many great prayers. Some of the most prominent come in the form of psalms and, of all these, David’s heartbroken, soul-sick prayer of Psalm 51 may be the most haunting. In a desperate bid to cover up a grievous sin, David has committed yet another grievous sin. He has been exposed as nothing less than a murderous adulterer. As he has grappled with his own sin and sinfulness, he has been cut to the quick. And in that frame of mind he prays to God to express his sorrow and repentance and to seek the Lord’s mercy.
While the circumstances and gravity of David’s sin may not be universal, certainly we can all identify with his alarm as he has realized the depths of his own depravity, with his shame as has grappled with how he has failed God and man, and with his desperate hope as he now pleads with God that He will extend undeserved favor to so great a sinner. In that way this prayer speaks to all of us and gives us all words to speak to God. This prayer is the subject of Jonathan Parnell’s short book Mercy for Today:
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