a prayer from Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God for I am a sinner. 

I need your extravagant forgiveness and grace

to flood my whole life,

removing my shame and setting me free again. 

You know how I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. 

You know every broken thing I have done.

I can’t hide it from you. 

I carry the weight of my mistakes and failures every day;

It’s too much to bear.

Only your forgiveness can free me from this burden.

Have mercy on me, O God

Bring me back,

Make me whole again,

And teach me to walk in step with you.