Psalm 32

While 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.

Lord,

The Poet is clear. When he refused to face and name his sin, he was miserable. “My body wasted away.” The inability to face and name his own sin in the presence of God seems to have affected, not only his spiritual connection with God, it affected him physically as well. Sin, guilt is a powerful force. The denial of sin can hurt, even kill the denier.

The he looked to you and confessed. He named this destructive reality in his own life. He faced it and he named it both to you and, I suspect, to himself. He is not even explicit that he repented, that he promised to do better – though I suppose it could be assumed.

He confessed and he was forgiven! Now, why is that so hard? Why is it so hard to face the simple destructive realities of my own life? Why is it so hard, even in secret prayer, where nobody else is listening and nobody else has to know, to say to you, “Let me tell you about me. Here are the sordid details.”?

Maybe, when I am in the midst of the mess, I don’t really want to talk to you. It could be the embarrassment of the thing. Or, as likely, I don’t want deal with me. When I name it, it’s mine to own. I cannot pretend to myself any more. Maybe that’s it. All I know for certain today is that honest confession is a hard thing to do.

But the poet is clear that confession is indeed good for the soul. And it is really good for the body too. So grant me the grace I need to stand before you in complete honesty. Grant me the courage to face myself in those moments when it’s ugly do so.

Lord, in this world, we need good strong defenses to protect ourselves. But, in your presence, grant me the grace to let my defenses down and to trust you with the stories of my life, the all too true stories of my life. Allow me to trust you to love me anyway and to have confidence in your pardon.

Personal Prayers:
Name one personal sin before God. You can name other sins later but start with just one that you can say. Name it in the fullness of its reality and ask God to forgive.

Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you to God.”

In Christ’s name,
Amen.

Psalm 32

Psalm 32
Of David. A Maskil.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

Lord,
You give the gift of guilt as a warning that we are moving away from you, that we are seriously off the track. You shape the conscience as an inner navigational system to keep us, as the poet of the 23rd said, “in the paths of righteousness for your name sake.” The loss of conscience and the capacity for guilt would mean the loss of our humanity. Compassion, mercy, love and all of the virtues of our humanity would all be swept away in orgies of self-centeredness. No longer would be we men and women created in your image, so thoroughly would be our spiritual and moral degeneration.

But, thank you, thank you, thank you, the guilt that is given is also taken away by the power of your forgiveness. You intend for guilt to go away once it has served its purpose. You want us to live as a forgiven people, choosing to live as you made us to live. Happy are those whose transgressions are forgiven!

So for the guilt that keeps me close to you and for the forgiveness that takes the guilt away, thank you.

Name your transgressions to God and ask forgiveness.
Say, “Lord, I accept my forgiveness. Please take the burden of guilt away.”
Name 5 things for which you are grateful.
In Christ’s name.
Amen.

Psalm 31

To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me. 2Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily.Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
3You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, 4take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge. 5Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.


Lord,
It’s been a while since I have written. Forgive me. Not that the excuse matters much to you, nor to me for that matter. Life just got busy and I slipped out of the habit. Apologies.
The Poet writes as if he or maybe she, is in a really rough place. This poet needs a rescue.
I don’t feel quite so desperate. Maybe if I knew the dangers around me, I would abandon this computer and fall on my knees and beg for mercy. But I don’t feel that needy.
Even so, I ask that you will be my rock, my refuge, my fortress. I cannot fulfill all of the obligations that are before me and without your guidance and presence, I am doomed to failure in some ways. That’s the truth and I need your wisdom and help.
Do I feel strange asking for your help? Yes! I should be helping you. But here we are: I want to do what you ask me to do and to do that, I need you to be my Paraclete; my counselor, my companion, my advocate, my protector, my wisdom.
Here is my case. If I am doing what you want me to do for the sake of your purpose, then it is in your best interest to help me out! As the poet said, I cannot sing your praises from the Pit! (Dog gone it,that sounds arrogant.)
So while I will do everything that is within my ability to do, I also will rely on the presence of your Spirit to take me through. And, you will be praised and your purpose served.

Name 5 things for which you are grateful.

In Christ’s name we pray,
Amen