Prayers of Forgiveness
Psalm 51 — Have Mercy on Me, O God
Psalm 51, the Miserere, is traditionally ascribed to King David after the prophet Nathan confronted him over Bathsheba and Uriah.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Amen.
Psalm 51:1-17 (KJV)
About the prayer
It is the greatest of the seven Penitential Psalms and has been the Church's standard prayer of repentance since the earliest centuries, prayed every Friday at Morning Prayer, sung at Ash Wednesday, and used for centuries in preparation for confession. Its power lies in its honesty: it does not minimise the sin, and it does not despair of mercy. Pray it when guilt is heavy, when you need to ask forgiveness plainly, or when you want a fresh start rather than a fresh excuse.
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