You Forgave My Sins

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-11 (NIV)

¹ Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

² Blessed is the one

whose sin the Lord does not count against them

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

⁴ For day and night

your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer.

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you

and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess

my transgressions to the Lord.”

And you forgave

the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you

while you may be found;

surely the rising of the mighty waters

will not reach them.

⁷ You are my hiding place;

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the Lord’s unfailing love

surrounds the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart!

 

Devotion:

            Psalm 32 is a psalm of rejoicing that ones sins have been forgiven. David, the psalmist, declares that the person who freely confesses their sin will experience the joy that forgiveness brings. Like the other famous sin that features sin/forgiveness, psalm 51, Today’s scripture reminds us that hiding ones sins is detrimental to both physical, mental, and spiritual health. Unconfessed sin the psalmist says is like having a physical illness that will not let you go. Sin weighs you down and there is no recovery from.

            Confession of sin, however, brings relief and joy to the sinner. The psalmist states that as soon as he turns toward God with and open heart and open mouth, he receives forgiveness. Therefore, the psalmist encourages the reader/hearer of this psalm to do the same. We can each receive freedom from the sins of the past simply by confessing our sins. This is easier for those of us who live on this side of the cross to see and understand, but there was forgiveness available to David and the ancient people of God as well.

            David warns us in this psalm not to be like a stubborn horse or mule. We are to let our Lord guide us down the right path gently and easily. The author points out that sin can make a life hard to bear, but we who know the ways of the Lord will in the end enter into a life free from guilt and shame. Indeed, we will know a life of rejoicing and singing before the Lord.

            God intends for us to learn this one central lesson from this psalm. That lesson being that a life of confession and repentance is acceptable to Him. Maybe it is not too late for this lesson to be learned on a national and even a global scale. This old world is in trouble. Sin is manifest everywhere in our homes and on our streets. Perhaps if we each called upon the Lord, he will hear from heaven and restore us to wholeness.