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Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don't throw me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalms 51:10–12 WEB.

King David strolled around his palace's rooftop terrace one lazy afternoon and spotted one of his neighbors bathing. Apparently, his balcony was above hers so he could look down on her. The woman was gorgeous, and she captivated him. So he sent someone to find out more about her. His messenger returned and told him plainly, "This is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah." Uriah the Hittite was one of David's trusted "mighty men," and he was away serving in the army.

Instead of being out leading the army like he usually was, David was at home and bored. Though he had many wives of his own, he couldn't stop thinking about Bathsheba. So he summoned her to the palace for an evening, and she returned home pregnant with his child. This complicated things for David because her husband was away in the military. In a few months, this would turn into a king-size scandal.

So David sent for Uriah and tried to get him drunk so that he would go home and sleep with his wife, Bathsheba. Then it would look like the child was his. But Uriah was so loyal he refused to do so. David was desperate and needed to cover this up. So he sent Uriah back to the battlefield carrying a sealed envelope to give to his commander Joab. It was an order for the death of Uriah.

Joab arranged for Uriah to be killed by the enemy and sent David the word, "Your servant, Uriah, is dead." Then King David brought Bathsheba to his palace and married her. It appeared to be such a noble act. The rich King David was taking in a poor widow that was pregnant with her war hero husband's child, except she wasn't. It was his.

A year quietly passed by, and Bathsheba gave birth to a son. One day, the prophet Nathan came to visit David. He told him about a rich man who had many sheep. When a visitor came to his house, instead of taking one of his own sheep to prepare for dinner, he sent for the only pet lamb a poor man had who lived nearby. The man had raised the lamb as his daughter, and it slept in his arms. Yet, the rich man took it away, and they ate her for dinner.

David burned with anger when he heard the story about the lamb, for he had once been a shepherd himself. He shouted, "That man deserves to die!" Then Nathan told him, "You are the man!" Those words had to burn David intensely. To be suddenly confronted with all that he had so carefully hidden, the sin he thought he had gotten away with. But facing it was the beginning of restoration.

David wrote later that his sin was always before him. He repented sincerely for what he had done. His prayer is recorded in Psalm 51. In verse 12, David asked God to restore the joy. The joy of the Lord was one of the first things that left him. Nothing is hidden from God. He just gives us space to repent before it finally catches up with us. There is a period between writing a check and clearing the bank, but the debt eventually hits your account.

When we mess up, it is best to get it over with immediately before it festers like a sore. A simple prayer and we can be forgiven. So be willing to stand up and say, "I am the one!" instead of waiting for God to confront you with it. We can choose to repent or to walk without His presence, sad and depressed the whole time. If you ask God, He will forgive you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your mercy. You are long-suffering and understanding. I am sorry for the times I let You down and chose my way instead of Yours. Please forgive, restore, and help me live my life for You from this day forward. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: The Creation Photographer themes of the week are "Freedom” or “Liberty to Love” and is wide open for interpretation! Until we get our groups area going, we invite you to share your photos on the website home page. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.