Psalm 51

Suppose there's a Christian who struggles with sin,
And despite all his efforts, he can't seem to win,
But it's not that he lives with the guilt and the shame—
He knows that he's purposely throwing the game.

REFRAIN
O holy one, give me a purified, sanctified heart;
O friend of sinners, teach me to find all I am
In all that thou art.
Cast not thy Spirit away from my side,
But make to know what it means
To live in the shadow of Christ, the lamb crucified.

I can't close my eyes, but I relive the evil I've done,
And I know that you're here, but I oftentimes feel so alone,
Christianity addict, chasing that spiritual high
But it seems that so often I'm living a sanctified lie.

BRIDGE
Cleanse me, and I shall be clean.
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow,
And I shall teach sinners the way they should go
Because it's the way, in thy grace, that I've seen.

You don't want my off'rings—no lambs, and no bulls, and no prayers that I spew—
But a heart that's contrite and that humbly will bow before you,
And that is the gift you have given to me:
A life that I'm able to pour out to thee.

I conceived this as a worship song. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but a decade later I still get it stuck in my head. —ZCP 4/1/25