“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow….Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:7,10

Clean

There were two things in my kitchen sink this morning. First, the bowl from leftover Tiki Masala Chicken with Rice Noodles I had just eaten for breakfast, soaking in water. And, secondly, the missed spatula left over from my husband’s phenomenal BBQ cheeseburgers from last night.

Which one do you think was easier to clean? You got it, the new fresh one! It’s the same with unconfessed sin or spiritual, emotional, or mental wounds. If we deal with them quickly, then there is much less elbow grease needed. We can come clean immediately as we confess or give those things to God. When we allow these things to stick to our hearts and souls, they often keep us from coming clean to God and man.

Recently, during a Bible Study, the Lord brought to the surface a 40-year old wound/sin I’ve thought about over the years, but have never taken the time to grieve all the areas of my life it affected: relationships past and present, the intimacy in my marriage, how I view myself, and the need to control things around me so I never open myself up to that kind of pain again. Definitely the spatula in my sink analogy.

When I brought the issue before the Lord and surrendered it to Him, God in His grace and mercy washed it away. I do not yet feel whiter than snow, but it honestly doesn’t matter what I feel, it’s what God promises to do in His Word that matters. I am cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. In Isaiah 1:18 the LORD says, “…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

I pray this week we can bring fresh sins, pain and concerns to the Lord, so He can deal with them quickly and we can keep short accounts and have clean hearts. And for those of us with wounds and sins we have held onto for years, let’s also bring them to Him. It may take a little more work getting to the bottom of them and finding the restoration and redemption God longs to give us, but we can be clean from them as well.

“Lord, thank You that You desire to give us clean hearts. May we ever bring our leftover sins and pain to You, knowing You will wash us clean as snow. Amen.”