King David’s prayer, recorded in Psalm 51, comes after his confrontation with the prophet Nathan about his illicit encounter with Bathsheba and the resulting murder of Uriah in an attempt to hide his transgression.
Last week I spent a couple of hours in one of my favorite places—a hint of sarcasm—the dentist chair. A broken tooth was causing significant pain. Upon evaluation, my dentist for the last thirty years informed me that the old “filling” had cracked and come out. He reported to the dental assistant, "I'm going to try a new restoration, but it's going to be difficult." That word “restoration” always catches my attention now. In retrospect, I realize my dentist never says, “Fillings.”
I do like the word “restoration” much more than “filling.” It sounds more hopeful, profound, and perhaps more permanent. For more than two hours, my highly-skilled and even world-renown dentist invested all his expertise and experience to “restore” the tooth. The process was difficult and uncomfortable, but the outcome was a success. Form, function, and aesthetics were thoroughly restored.
I have often prayed David’s Psalm 51 prayer, although—thankfully—for very different reasons. When busyness and diversion prevent me from prioritizing God’s word and my one-on-one time with Him, I find myself tired and running short on joy. I’ve learned that getting myself back on track and focusing my time and energy on what’s important requires intentional work and commitment. But when I tap into God’s constant love and support, the result, restoration, is always exciting and refreshing.
Summer is a great time for restoration. The Creative Team is spending the month of July doing a deep-dive into the Psalms. In N.T. Wright’s The Case for the Psalms, Wright makes the point, “…the Psalms were the hymnbook that Jesus and his first followers would have known by heart,” and he encourages, “Sing these songs and they will renew you from head to toe, from heart to mind. Pray these poems and they will sustain you on the long, hard but exhilarating road of Christian discipleship.”
(I highly recommend N.T. Wright’s The Case for the Psalms)
I encourage you to pray the prayers Jesus prayed. Engage the mountain-tops and even the deep valleys; this book of songs and prayers contain and embrace the restoration He desires for your soul. Imagine the impact we can have on the world when we are in top form and functioning with a joyful and willing spirit!