“O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:15-17‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Yesterday we read about David’s great sin and the death of his son as a result. I wonder what David was experiencing while he was before the Lord for those 7 days, praying, fasting, and believing for G-d’s mercy. Was he grieving his sin? Was he grieving his son? Was he grieving for his wife? Did he feel shame? Was he sorrowful? Was he sorry for his actions?

Today’s reading, penned after Nathan confronted David and his sin, gives us some idea, and truthfully, I imagine most of us could identify with his sorrow. 

I’ve been pondering how David asked the Lord to “open his lips, that his mouth may declare {His} praise.” It’s a curious expression to think about G-d opening David’s mouth. After all, David was a verbose man to whom words came naturally. Yet he asked G-d to open his mouth. 

When we grieve, when we feel sorrow, and when heaviness plagues us, praise is the last thing we often “feel” like doing. Maybe that’s why David, recognizing his inability and physical weakness, asked for G-d to pāṯaḥ his mouth – to free it, to loosen it, and to throw it open. 

When we open our mouths with gratitude, the chains of heaviness that plague and silence us fall to the ground. Praise is the weapon that lightens the load. And when we don’t “feel” like it, He holds the power to loosen, to free, and to throw open our mouths. Pāṯaḥ my mouth today, Lord, that Your praise may be glorious. 

Father – thank You for Your Word and for the gift of praise. Fill my mouth with gratitude not grief, praise not sorrow, and worship not worry. You are good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and you can be trusted. Amen. 

Daily Reading: Psalms 32, 51, 86, 122