“Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.” Psalm 19:12

It’s a humbling truth: we often don’t see the full extent of our own sinfulness. Like hidden stains on a garment, many of our errors, faults, and shortcomings remain out of our conscious awareness. We go about our days, perhaps even feeling good about ourselves, yet the Bible reminds us that in God’s holy presence, we fall far short and are guilty before God. This isn’t about being overly self-critical, but about acknowledging a profound spiritual reality.

The psalmist David, a man after God’s own heart, understood this deeply. He recognized that his own understanding of his errors was limited. He wisely prayed, “Who can understand his errors?” and then, crucially, “cleanse thou me from secret faults.” These “secret faults” are the sins we commit without even realizing it, the ways our thoughts, words, and deeds subtly deviate from God’s perfect will.

Our own efforts to identify every flaw will always fall short. This is where God’s grace and His Word come in. As we read and meditate on Scripture, the Holy Spirit, its divine author, illuminates our hearts. He gently, yet powerfully, reveals those areas where we don’t measure up, showing us God’s desires and exposing our need for His cleansing. It’s a humbling process, but a necessary one for spiritual growth.

Just as we confess the sins we know, David’s prayer encourages us to ask God to cleanse us from the sins we don’t even recognize. It’s a plea for God’s divine discernment to uncover what we cannot see in ourselves.

The beautiful assurance we have is that God, for the sake of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, promises to forgive us when we look to Him and His gracious promises in faith. His own word tells us: “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared … Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:3-4, 7-8).

In Psalm 32, after speaking of the blessing of not being self deceived, but confessing one’s sins and being pardoned and forgiven, David prays, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (v. 5). And the apostle John writes in his first epistle: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

What a comfort to know that even our hidden faults are covered by His boundless mercy toward us in Christ Jesus! God’s Word tells us: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). God’s Word assures us that, though we all fall short of the glory of God, He pardons and justifies all who look in faith to Jesus and His cross for mercy (cf. Rom. 3:21-26).

Gracious God, we acknowledge that we often fail to see our own sinfulness. We pray with David, “Who can understand his errors?” Cleanse us, Lord, from our secret faults — those sins we commit unknowingly. By Your Spirit and Your Word, reveal to us what is displeasing in Your sight, and by the precious blood of Jesus, forgive us and make us whole. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]