Burning Heart Part 2 | Psalm 51
Have you ever heard of the Mandela effect? It gets its name from the former leader of South Africa Nelson Mandela. People believed that he died in prison in the 1980s, but he didn’t die, he went on to live until 2013. It is a phenomenon where people misremember and collectively believe something that is not true even though they have vivid memories otherwise. Examples of this will make you stop and think: in the Wizard of Oz, we think that Dorothy said, “Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.” But she never said that in the movie. In Star Wars, Darth Vader never said, “Luke, I am your father.” Some people believe that there is a peanut butter called, “Jiffy.” But it’s not, it is called, “Jif.” The Cartoon is not called “Looney Toons” but “Looney Tunes.” Curious George never had a tail. There is no “s” in Wal-Mart. The is an A in Oscar Mayer. The monopoly man does NOT have a monocle. Double Stuf Oreos does not have two f’s. What does this have to do with anything? I believe that when it comes to God and forgiveness of sin, there is a Mandela effect going on: people believe that God cannot and will not forgive them of their sins unless they somehow pay God back and try to earn His forgiveness by being a good person. They think they have to be good to be accepted.
Psalm 51 is known as a penitential psalm (6, 32, 38, 51, 102,130,143): a psalm of repentance. A prayer by one who is deeply troubled and alarmed by their sin. Psalm 51 is written during the darkest moment of David’s life when he sexually abused a married woman, had her husband killed and lied to cover it up. This psalm is a case study for what it look like to truly repent of our sins and be restored in a right relationship with God. David’s story is our story and Psalm 51 is our psalm. Psalm 51 is about how God meets us in our moments of deepest failure and transforms us by his grace. It is how broken sinners can be brutally honest with God and yet stand before him without fear because of God’s mercy and grace. Last week, we examined the reality of David’s sin; now we are looking at the repentant attitude of David’s heart. In Psalm 51, we see that genuine repentance is a confession for cleansing and a desire to be different that leads to restoration with God.