Psalm 51:7-12
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:7-12 (NIV)
When I was growing up in Northern Wisconsin, our Lutheran church adopted the musical version of verses 10-12 of this psalm as our anthem following the collection of the offering. It replaced the far more traditional doxology (“praise God from whom all blessings flow….”), which the traditional Lutherans in our congregation held dear to their hearts. I am sure that it was more a reaction to the signs of the times. So much was changing around us socially and culturally in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so why would one more change be that bad? For me, however, it was about what the anthem said to me. From the perspective of a teenager, the doxology was a hymn of praise to God, thanking him for all of the blessings that he had sent my way and acknowledging Him as the source of all grace and blessing. My offering was a symbol of my thanks to God for all of those things. Therefore, the anthem was the appropriate hymn of thanks. I had a hard time understanding how the new anthem was appropriate. At that time of my life, it did not speak to me. Maybe I was just resisting one more change. After all, we were constantly hearing that change was a bad thing.
As I have come to look at the words of today’s passage over the years and consider what they say and mean, I see things from a completely different perspective than I did as a teenager. These words are now speaking to me. With these words I am asking God to help me to refresh, recharge and sustain my faith. I am also asking God to help purify my heart so that I can be a better Christian and so that I can see the joy that is present in a full relationship with Him. These words follow perfectly the words of thanks that I was so enamored with in the doxology, and are good words to use when we (in today’s terms) connect with God in prayer, not just after the offering, but anytime we speak with God. Without that change, I may never have been exposed to a new perspective on speaking with God. I guess change isn’t really that bad after all.
Thanks be to God!
Questions for Reflection:
- What do certain hymns or portions of our liturgy say to you?
- Do these hymns or passages inspire you as you communicate with God?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for all of your infinite grace and mercy and for blessing us in so many ways. We ask you to help purify our hearts, renew our minds and sustain our faith. Please keep us near you always and help us to experience the joy of life with you! In Jesus name, Amen.
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