Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Psalm 51:8b Lord, let me have the comfortable tokens and evidences of thy favour to me: that shall put gladness in my heart in the midst of all my griefs. Matthew Henry, 1662-1714, Welsh-born, English nonconformist minister and commentator
Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Psalm 51:9 Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores and more than abundantly. Jim Elliot, martyred missionary
Create in me a clean heart, O God.. Psalm 51:10a Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me to overflowing with living water. The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions, 1600/1700s
O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10b Devotion is not a passing emotion: it is a fixed, enduring habit of mind permeating the whole life and shaping every action. Jean N. Grou, 1731-1803, French Jesuit
Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:11 When this presence of holy fellowship with God is withdrawn, when mists obscure this sun, the soul can find no other comfort. There cannot be a substitute for God. Henry Law, Exposition of Psalms, 1878 Note: Old Testament saints did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) but the presence of the Holy Spirit.
"Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life" from