Behold the power of God in the Psalms!

The future proves the past.

Psalm 1:

The Two Ways

1 Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water,

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Behold the power of God in the Psalms!

The future proves the past.

Psalm 51:

Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon

A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love;

according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,

and done that which is evil in thy sight,

so that thou art justified in thy sentence

and blameless in thy judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being;

therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Fill me with joy and gladness;

let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.

9 Hide thy face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence,

and take not thy holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways,

and sinners will return to thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,

thou God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips,

and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

16 For thou hast no delight in sacrifice;

were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.

17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

19 then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on thy altar.