A Broken and Contrite Heart

Psalm 51:16-17

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For You do not delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
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My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

If you have ever heard the phrase, “Sorry is not good enough,” then you most likely were at the receiving end of a reckoning. Psalm 51 was written when Nathan the prophet confronted David after he had sinned with Bathsheba.

When we are caught red-handed, we often want the easiest way out. David was in this spot, and if a sacrifice would have been what God wanted, he would have already done it. The Lord wanted a broken spirit and a contrite heart instead of any burnt offering.

Burnt offerings were a symbol of what Christ was going to do so that we could be without sin in God’s eyes, the perfect sacrifice. David knew that God deals with the heart, not the offering. Arrogance will get you nowhere, in other words. Instead of ritualistic sacrifices of items we can replace, the Lord wants you to sacrifice your spirit and turn over to Him a contrite heart.

The definition of contrite is, “feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt.” If God can get your heart, He can affect the rest of your life. Today, stop playing sacrifice with words and deeds, hoping you appease the people you are crossways with. Instead, come with a broken spirit and contrite heart. As a rudder guides the ship, your heart steers your ways. You may be on the verge of a breakthrough, and your heart and spirit are the first things that need to fall in line.

Prayer: Father, I pray that my heart stays broken for you and that I only desire to follow your ways. I pray that my heart is right before you, Lord, and that it is cleaned out of all the worldly filth that clouds my judgment. In Jesus’ name, amen.