You probably know the exploits of King David, but as a quick review, or if you’re not familiar with King David, here are some snapshots of his storied life. You may want to read the verses noted so you can catch all the details:
• Anointed as king (1 Sam. 16:13)
• Defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17:48-50)
• Committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:1-5)
• Covered up his sin (2 Sam. 11:6-21)
• Confronted by Nathan about his sin (2 Sam. 12:1-7)
David committed grievous sins, chiefly adultery and conspiracy to commit murder. Yet he is still described in the New Testament as a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:20-22), and Jesus is honorably referred to as “the Son of David.” So how was an adulterer and murderer able to maintain such revered status?
It has a lot to do with Psalm 51, and that’s good news for us.
The What
Psalm 51 is David’s famous confession of his sin and his desire for complete cleansing. He owned his actions. It’s one of history’s biggest turnarounds, and God made sure to record it for us to apply to our lives. Look up Psalm 51 in your Bible, or print it out from a website or Bible app. As you read the passage, look for the categories of info noted below and draw the suggested symbol or something resembling it above the info when you see it. This will help you notice more detail, which gives God more opportunity to impress this psalm on your heart.
Requests David makes of God: Draw something depicting humility, such as a kneeling stick figure.
State of His Heart: Draw a simple heart.
Renewed Commitment: Draw a sun or sunrise.
Traits of God: Draw a cloud.
After you’ve read the passage, look at what you’ve marked. Write on a separate sheet of paper your top three standouts for each category of information (e.g., your favorite three requests David made).
The So What
Now, put it all together and prayerfully respond to the questions below. You may want to write down your thoughts.
What do you learn about God and what He asks of us when we seek to be cleaned up from our mistakes?
Do you need some self-cleaning? Psalm 51 is a pure prayer between a soft-hearted follower and a gracious God. Take a moment to do what David did. Approach God with full trust in His grace and mercy. Write down anything you have in your life that you know is not pleasing to God. Then pray this prayer (Ps. 51) from your heart and accept God’s grace and mercy.
One more thing—those things you just wrote down? Check out 1 John 1:9 and personally claim the promise you see in this verse. You also may want to write the words of that verse, using a big marker such as a Sharpie, at the top of your list as if you’re blotting out the items. This, of course, is what God does: He blots out our dirt.
Barry Shafer has been in youth ministry for more than 25 years and is director of InWord Resources. He is the author of Unleashing God’s Word in Youth Ministry (Youth Specialties/Zondervan) and has written many small-group Bible studies for teens. He lives in Middletown, Ohio, with his wife, Jessica, and their newborn son, Reade.
