“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7)

This was David’s prayer after committing adultery with Bathsheba. He wanted God’s forgiveness to extend to his experience, so that he felt clean again. It’s one thing to believe that God has forgiven, but another to experience that forgiveness. “Wash me” is an intimate and humble invitation. It admits one’s filthy condition and also one’s inability to get clean without help. Perhaps we fail to completely experience forgiveness because we’ve yet to admit both the depth of our sin and our total inadequacy at getting clean. Let us pray as David, “Wash me, Lord!”