Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Lent 2018 | Page 4

Excuses
Thursday, February 15th
Psalm 51:1-6
Not many things in the world seem more innocent than a baby. When you see a newborn, the first
instinct many people have is to be extremely careful. A baby looks so fragile, so helpless, and so
innocent that it almost seems there is no way an infant could do any wrong – much less be held
accountable for it.
But ask any parent if their baby has ever annoyed them by screaming for no reason or by refusing to
eat when being fed. You might say, “It’s just a baby. Of course, a baby is going to do things like that.”
True. But that’s the point.
Sinners are good at making excuses for sinful people and sinful behaviors. And the chief person you
will excuse is yourself. You will rationalize your sin. You will make excuses. You will say you didn’t
know any better. You will claim God doesn’t really care about your sin. Your sin is not that big of a deal.
You will point to the situation you have been placed in, and reason with yourself that you had no
choice.
In our reading today, the psalm writer David makes no excuses for his sins. He confesses his
wrongdoing and puts the blame squarely on himself. He recognizes that there is no hiding from God.
He knows there is no excusing imperfection before a perfect God. He lays everything before God. He
walks through his life, from conception to the present, and places all his offenses in full sight of God.
Make no mistake, God knows your sin. He listens to the excuses and the rationalizations you make, and
he is justified in his judgment of sin. He has every right to pass down the verdict of guilt on you.
Yet God is merciful. He does everything that David requests in Psalm 51. He has mercy on you, he blots
out your transgressions, he washes you clean, and he teaches you wisdom. You don’t need to
rationalize sin. You don’t need to blame your situation. Instead, you get to confess your sin to God. You
get to lay everything at his feet. And in his mercy, he promises to blot out your sin according to his
great compassion
Trust that God holds no sin against you. Confess your sin. God is merciful. Trust in his forgiveness.
Prayer: Merciful God, wash away my sin and make me your faithful child. Amen.
Activity: Take 30 seconds and think of one excuse you have made for sin in the past two days. Find a
place by yourself (or even with a close friend if you desire) and confess that sin out loud. If you do this
with som