I Stand Amazed

One of the little gals who did the final typesetting of my book complained to the owner that she was going to have nightmares after reading about the early days of my life.

I can relate.

I heard an old gospel song the other day, “I stand amazed”. In just three words that little title best describes my feeling for what God did in changing my life. I was reading one of David’s prayers this morning that was written not long after his romp with Bathsheba and his subsequent murder of her husband.

He was pleading with God to purge him of his sins and wash him whiter than snow. He asked God to clean his heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within him. He said, “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness”… He prayed that God not cast him from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from him. And he beseeched Him to restore the joy of His salvation and uphold him by His generous Spirit.

Then David said something vitally important and interesting, Psalm 51:13 “Then I will teach transgressors Your ways. And sinners shall be converted to You”.

To me that sums up what we are to do with God’s gift of eternal life once we receive it. When we are cleaned up and forgiven, we are to use our lives to tell others, in order that they too might be converted. I believe that is exactly why those words were written by David so long ago. I’m sure it was difficult for him to share what he had done with the entire world, but he did so willingly in order that we might benefit, even today, thousands of years later.

God accepts a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart from us, but even so righteous God still had to demand and exact punishment for every last one of our sins. I stand amazed that Jesus Christ took my place and David’s place, and your place in taking that punishment out of sheer love for us.

Stand amazed with me, and then teach other transgressors God’s mercy and grace in order that they too might be converted.



Psalm 51:15
O Lord open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth
Your praise.
For you do not desire sacrifice,
Or else I would give it to You.
You do not delight in burnt
offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart.
These O God You will not
Despise.