Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Sam. 12:13)
Expanded Passage: 2 Samuel 11:1-11, 18-27; 12:7-14
Growing up within the evangelical church, I often heard dramatic conversion stories. I heard secondhand tales of drug addicts, atheists, and orphans compelled by the message of Jesus. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, every story had a clear before and after, a moment that changed everything. But I often struggle with these stories, because held up against my own experience, my conversion seemed much more gradual. A gentle turning. A story without clear lines, beginnings, or endings.
We each have a story. One is not more important or impactful than another, and one single moment is not the sum. If we are still breathing, the story is still unfolding. Without glossing over the harm David’s decisions caused, we can also find hope in a God who welcomes us every time we turn toward him. Every time we recognize our need, when we cry out like David, “I have sinned!” God is ready to receive us.
In A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene Peterson wrote that repentance is “a rejection that is also an acceptance, a leaving that develops into an arriving, a no to the world that is a yes to God.” And for most of us, that turning is continual. The Christian life is saying yes to God over and over and over again, a gentle turning as he brings us further into himself.
Consider how God might be inviting you to turn toward him.
Sarah E. Westfall is an author and speaker who currently resides in northeast Indiana with her husband Ben and their four boys; she is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
