February 5, 2025 - Psalm‬ ‭51‬:‭16‬-‭17

“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:16-17 ESV

Lord, this verse might seem contradicting to other things you tell us and ask of us. This was written in a time when your children were still required to make sacrifices to pay for their sins. Today, you are not asking us to make animal sacrifices, but you do still ask us to sacrifice things in our lives. Yet, this verse makes it sound like you don’t like sacrifices. In the time when this was written, I think a lot of time people would make the required sacrifices because it was required or expected, and they missed the whole point. They were not sorry for their sin; Their hearts were not broken over it. They were not humbly approaching you asking for your forgiveness.

This can also make people think that the happy can’t find God. You want us to be full of your joy, but you also want us to be broken over our sin. You want us to be humble and teachable. When we recognize how sinful and messed up we are and come to you acknowledging that we are broken and in desperate need of you, you will not turn us away. When we walk in joyful obedience to whatever you ask us to sacrifice/give up because we want to please you, not because we want man’s approval, this is when we gain your approval. It is all about our heart attitude. Holy Spirit, come and work in us. Show us any place where we need to change our heart attitude. Help us live from a place of having a broken and contrite heart that longs for your correction and guidance. Make us humble, tender, and teachable.

In Jesus name, amen.