The Heart God Desires

 



The Heart God Desires

📖 Psalm 51:1–17

Have mercy on me, O God,

    because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion,

    blot out the stain of my sins.

Wash me clean from my guilt.

    Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my rebellion;

    it haunts me day and night.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

    I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say,

    and your judgment against me is just.

For I was born a sinner—

    yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

But you desire honesty from the womb,

    teaching me wisdom even there.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;

    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Oh, give me back my joy again;

    you have broken me—

    now let me rejoice.

Don’t keep looking at my sins.

    Remove the stain of my guilt.

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

    Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Do not banish me from your presence,

    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

    and make me willing to obey you.

Then I will teach your ways to rebels,

    and they will return to you.

Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;

    then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

Unseal my lips, O Lord,

    that my mouth may praise you.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.  You do not want a burnt offering.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.


📖 Amos 5:14–24

Do what is good and run from evil

    so that you may live!

Then the lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper,

    just as you have claimed.

Hate evil and love what is good;

    turn your courts into true halls of justice.

Perhaps even yet the lord God of Heaven’s Armies

    will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Therefore, this is what the Lord, the lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says:

“There will be crying in all the public squares

    and mourning in every street.

Call for the farmers to weep with you,

    and summon professional mourners to wail.

There will be wailing in every vineyard,

    for I will destroy them all,”

    says the lord.

What sorrow awaits you who say,

    “If only the day of the lord were here!”

You have no idea what you are wishing for.

    That day will bring darkness, not light.

In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion—

    only to meet a bear.

Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house—

    and he’s bitten by a snake.

Yes, the day of the lord will be dark and hopeless,

    without a ray of joy or hope.

“I hate all your show and pretense—

    the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.

I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.

    I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.

Away with your noisy hymns of praise!

    I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,

    an endless river of righteous living.


Psalm 51: The Cry for Cleansing

Written after David’s sin with Bathsheba, this Psalm is the ultimate model of repentance. It shows that true confession acknowledges the depth of our transgression: “My sin is ever before me.” David understands that sin is ultimately against God: “Against You, You only, have I sinned.”

David does not make excuses. He does not shift blame. Instead, he throws himself completely upon God’s “unfailing love” and “great compassion” to blot out his transgressions. He asks not merely for relief from consequences, but for deep, inward cleansing:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”

The goal is not just forgiveness — it is transformation.

Not just pardon — but purification.

Not just restored standing — but restored joy.

God is not impressed by outward sacrifice. He desires something far deeper:

“The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

A broken heart before God is not weakness — it is surrender. It is honesty. It is humility that opens the door for restoration.

Amos 5: The Call for Justice

In contrast, Amos speaks to a society that maintained religious rituals — sacrifices, songs, assemblies — but neglected justice and righteousness. Their worship was loud, but their lives were hollow.

Amos tells them to:

“Seek good, not evil.”

“Hate evil, love good.”

“Maintain justice in the courts.”

God rejects their worship — the “noise of your songs” — because it is not backed by righteous living.

“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

God is not looking for performance. He is looking for integrity. He is not moved by ceremonies that are disconnected from compassion, mercy, and obedience.

Connecting the Two

Both passages emphasize that God prefers a “broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17) over empty rituals (Amos 5:22).

True repentance (Psalm 51) must result in a life of righteousness and justice (Amos 5).

Repentance changes the heart.

A changed heart changes behavior.

Changed behavior impacts the world.

A transformed heart, as desired by God, is achieved through a sincere, humble, and daily surrender to Him, relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change your inner desires rather than merely modifying outward behavior. This involves daily prayer, immersing yourself in Scripture, and choosing to walk in obedience to His will.

Reflection

Are there “sacrifices” I am trying to offer God — church attendance, donations, “good deeds” — that are masking a heart that needs to repent and change?

Is my faith leading to justice in my daily life?

Is my worship something I sing — or something I live?

Walking It Out

Surrender to God: Actively ask for a new heart, repent of sins, and trust in the power of the Gospel.

Study and Apply Scripture: “Hide” God’s Word in your heart, allowing it to guide your actions and thoughts.

Daily Devotion: Pray and meditate on God's will constantly, making your life an offering.

Obedience and Service: Serve others and live in a way that reflects Christlike character.

Remove Distractions: Guard your heart by being cautious about what you watch, read, and listen to.

This transformation is a process that requires patience, as you allow God to shape and mold your desires to align with His. He is faithful to finish what He begins.

My prayer for this Lenten season is that God will create in me a clean heart, making me acceptable to him and keep this song there until he calls me home!

🙏 Prayer

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Break anything in me that is prideful, stubborn, or pretending. Give me a heart that hates evil and loves good, that I may not just sing to You, but live justly and walk in Your ways. Let my worship be more than words — let it be obedience. Shape my desires until they align with Yours. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and make me willing to obey You. Amen.

🙏 The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom,

And the power, and the glory,

Forever and ever. Amen.

BELIEVE, OBEY, BE BLESSED, AMEN.

BOBBA 💛

Love, Penny

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dunamis

Image
  Fun Deuteronomy 31:6 “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Joshua 1:9 “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Psalm 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Being strong and courageous is not always the problem. Staying focused on God—and not every small problem that erupts into our lives—that is often the greater challenge. We fret over so much: our finances, our car, our home, our family near and far, our church family, our community, our nation, and the world. Then we add the illnesses that develop from the stress of these burdens, alon...
Read more

Besieged but Not Defeated

Image
  Besieged but Not Defeated Psalms 31:21-24 Praise the lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. In panic I cried out,     “I am cut off from the lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. Love the lord, all you godly ones!  For the lord protects those who are loyal to him,  but he harshly punishes the arrogant. So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the lord! Psalm 31:21-24 Psalms 37:3-7 Trust in the lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the lord.  Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about th...
Read more

Divine Symmetry

Image
  Divine Symmetry: Life, Death, and God’s Perfect Order ​The Bible often reveals God’s truth through symmetry —a divine balance where beginnings and endings mirror one another, chaos is answered with order, and death is never allowed the final word. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture shows us that God works in patterns of restoration, purpose, and promise. What feels sudden or heartbreaking to us is never without meaning to Him. ​Redemptive Symmetry: Adam and Christ ​The relationship between Adam and Jesus serves as a perfect mirror image of loss and restoration. ​ 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 (NLT) ​“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.” ​ 1 Corinthians 15:45–47 (NLT) ​“The Scriptures tell us, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living person.’ But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a ...
Read more