Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 32:1-5
Ps 32:1-5
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
1 Tim 1:15-17
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Have you ever done something bad? I mean really bad! Like, bad enough that you got depressed and wondered how in the world you could have done it? This is the kind of thing that the Psalmist is feeling as he writes this Psalm. The guilt eats away at your body and soul. You deny the guilt, you rationalize your behavior, you find all kinds of reason (excuses) why it was ok, but deep inside, you know better.
Most scholars believe that David wrote this Psalm after his repentance of the sins he committed against Uriah and Bathsheba. David (the man whom God said was a man after his own heart) knew that adultery was wrong. He knew murder was wrong. He knew lying was wrong. But he did all of this anyway and then tried to go on as though nothing had happened. But he had sinned, and he knew it.
His true character came through when he was confronted by the prophet. After he was told by a parable what he had done, his reply was that he had sinned. He quit making excuses and trying to convince himself that he was ok. It is not easy to admit we have done wrong, especially some really bad wrong. But when we face our sin and repent, we can find peace, but it will never come until we do.
O Lord God, you know my sin and you know my heart. Open my eyes to see when I do wrong and give me the fortitude to admit it, turn from it, and to ask for your forgiveness. It is easy to read that you will forgive me but give me faith enough to accept your forgiveness and then forgive myself. Thank you for all the times you have forgiven me and helped me do better. I know that I cannot change the past, but I can learn from my mistakes and use them to help me become more like Jesus. Give me clean hands and a pure heart. In the name of Jesus, I pray.
Robert
