Psalm 32
1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
5Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah
6Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
7You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
Selah
8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
10Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Every now and then, someone in a congregation will stop receiving Communion. This is always a red flag for a pastor. When asked, the person will usually say one of two things. “I’m angry with God” or “God could never forgive me for what I’ve done”. Both of these responses come from a place of deep pain and suffering.
The writer of Psalm 32 talks about the pain of unconfessed sin: 3While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. When we decide that what we’ve done is too awful for God to forgive, we commit the sin of putting ourselves in the place of God. We’re so ashamed of what we’ve done that we can’t imagine anyone, especially God, being able to forgive us. The longer we hide and nurse our guilt, the more difficult it becomes to confess. The unconfessed sin becomes an illness that consumes us.
Sadly, the cure for this horrible suffering is as simple (and as difficult) as confession. Nothing, NOTHING, is too horrible for God to forgive. Learning that we are justified by the grace of God, apart from anything we could do to gain or lose it, prepares us for the day when we will really need to believe it.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Living in unforgiveness is a torture of our own making. God stands ready and waiting to hear our confession and joyfully restore us. Our response to that unmerited grace is to practice that same radical love and forgiveness with others.
Prayer: Lord God: I worry and suffer over my sins while you watch and wait for me to come to my senses and return to you. Thank you for your steadfast love and forgiveness. AMEN