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Daily Devotionals for June 20-24
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|  | As we conclude the "Present Help in Present Trouble" series next Sunday with a message by Pastor Rob, we are focusing this week in our devotionals on Psalm 32, a psalm of confession and thanksgiving. We thank Ted Coniaris, Lead Pastor of Community Life, for writing this week's devotionals. |
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MONDAY, JUNE 20
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| | Today we are reading Psalm 32, focusing on verses 1 and 2. The text below is taken from the New Living Translation, but feel free to read from the version of your choice.
1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 8The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." 10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. 11So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
The book of Psalms is an ancient collection of hymns and poems that have touched the hearts of men and women for thousands of years. The reason behind their timeless power is that they are divine utterances, with a supernatural ability to capture and illuminate the complex relationship between the creator God and His created beings.
Psalm 32 is a particularly poignant example of this power. Written by King David, this Psalm comes from the lips of a person whose life embodies the sharp contrast between the darkness of the human heart and the relentless light of God's love. King David (an adulterer, idolater and murderer) was all too familiar with the consequences of living a life outside of God's will and the weight of the ensuing guilt.
On the other hand, as this Psalm articulates, David was also personally familiar with the joy, freedom, security, direction, and love that can only be found in forgiveness through true repentance.
As Charles Spurgeon notes, "[In Psalm 32] David now gives us his own experience: no instructor is so efficient as one who testifies to what he has personally known and felt. He writes well who like the spider spins his matter out of his own bowels."
There is so much that can be said about these first few verses of Psalm 32, but one of the most significant is its focus on the joy that is found in forgiveness. David is proclaiming a joy that he knows well because, as we've said, he knows well the regret and sorrow of sin, and has personally experienced the joy of God's forgiveness.
If you have ever received undeserved forgiveness from a friend, co-worker, or family member you have has a small taste of the kind of joy David is expressing here. What is really amazing about the overwhelming joy he describes is that it is available for the one who knows and confesses the depths of their sin rather than the one who lives the "perfect life." Those who try to hide their sin from God and others -- or those who live with a self-righteous disposition that only sees the "small-ness" of their own sin compared to the "large-ness" of the sin in the lives of those around them -- will never know this joy.
If you remember from the parable of the Prodigal Son, you'll recall that it was when the prodigal returned home in humility and repentance that the celebration began. The same is true of us today. When we humbly turn to God in repentance, we are truly forgiven by virtue of Jesus has already accomplished on our behalf through His perfect life, innocent death, and victorious resurrection.
The one who confesses the depths of his or her sin, and rests in the arms of Jesus, will know the depths of His love -- and that is the fount of everlasting and overwhelming joy.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner and reveal to me the joy of forgiveness.
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TUESDAY, JUNE 21
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| Today we are reading Psalm 32, focusing today on verses 3-5. The text below is taken from the New Living Translation, but feel free to read from the version of your choice.
1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
These verses paint a vivid picture of a stubborn and unrepentant David attempting to withstand the unbearable weight of his guilt. The startling reality is that the weight of guilt David describes -- guilt that was wearing him down from the inside out -- is a weight that all humanity bears. Scripture tells us that all have fallen short of the Glory of God and we all have been stained by sin. We are all guilty of rejecting God's way for our lives and chasing our own selfish desires. We may not have committed the same sins as David but we share the same burden. We can deal with this burden in one of three ways:
- Ignore our guilt and spend our time convincing ourselves and others that we are not guilty or that our guilt is not a big deal. This response disintegrates before the judgment seat of God when all that was hidden in darkness will be brought to light and dealt with accordingly.
- Confront our guilt and be crushed by its weight and eroded by its toxicity. This is the hopeless-ness we see expressed in verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 32 and it is a life that is unbearable to face and impossible to sustain.
- Confess our guilt to Jesus Christ, who has borne the total weight of your sin, my sin (in fact, the whole of sin) on the cross so that all who turn to Him would not be crushed under its weight but given complete freedom through forgiveness and eternal life free from the effects of sin upon His return.
May this psalm be a wake-up call for those who have chosen to ignore their sin and have turned their face from the sting of guilt. As this psalm clearly describes, we can either face our guilt now and be forgiven or we can face our guilt in judgment and be condemned.
May this psalm be a relief for those who are feeling crushed under the burden of guilt. The price has already been paid, justice has already been served and peace has already been made through Jesus and it has been freely offered to you. Take it. Be free to live life to the fullness that God intended.
And finally, may this psalm be a sweet reminder of the incredible implications of the Gospel for those who choose to confess their inadequacies before the Creator of the Universe and be washed clean by the overwhelming flood of His grace. Be filled with joy, knowing that you are free.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner and reveal to me the freedom of forgiveness
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22
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| | This week we are reading Psalm 32, focusing today on verses 6 and 7. The text below is taken from the New Living Translation.
1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 8The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." 10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. 11So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! Verses 6 and 7 present a familiar contrast in a new way. As we saw in previous verses, the presence of God is experienced in drastically different ways depending upon your posture. To the proud, His presence is experienced as the burning fire of judgment. To the repentant, His presence is experienced as peace, security and protection.
In today's verses, David is sending an encouragement and a warning:
The encouragement? That all who heed this call will be filled with an abiding peace -- peace that comes from an eternal security as David describes in verse 7. Ultimately, it is through the person and work of Jesus, the Gospel, that our rightful Judge becomes our refuge, protection and security.
The warning? That now is the time for repentance. Now is the time to humble yourself and receive mercy -- because there will come a time when it will be too late. Our tomorrow is never guaranteed and it is today that we are promised forgiveness. Please do not wait. Please do not withhold your confession in pride for today is the day of salvation. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, Paul writes:
"For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.' Indeed, the 'right time' is now. Today is the day of salvation."
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner and instill in me the security of forgiveness.
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THURSDAY, JUNE 23
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| | This week we are reading Psalm 32, focusing today on verses 8 and 9. The text below is taken from the New Living Translation.
1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty 3When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 8The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." 10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. 11So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
In verses 8 and 9 of Psalm 32, there is a significant shift. The speaker is no longer David, but it is God Himself. The implicit message of this text is that true repentance does not simply mean saying "I am sorry." Repentance involves action, not just words; we must turn from our old ways in order to walk in the way of Jesus. We will never be able to walk in God's direction perfectly, but repentance without "turning" is nothing but empty words.
One of the most powerful aspects of true confession is the openness to change -- the admission that we are doing a lousy job leading our own lives and we must instead depend on God's leading. For a follower of Jesus Christ, this means reaffirming our total trust in the path the God has laid before us in His Word. While the previous verses addressed our need to confess our sins, these verses center on the discipline of knowing and following God's leading -- reading and knowing Scripture and being sensitive to His leading in our lives, not like the senseless horse or mule of verse 9.
Both confession and sensitivity to God's guidance are essential for the Christian life and either will fall short without the other working in unison. Our call is not simply to learn about God's direction for our lives but it is to actually follow it! This means that we must read His Word and talk to Him in prayer, with a humble willingness and total abandon.
The story of Jesus' life and ministry is filled with encounters with those who knew the truth -- many were devout students of the Scriptures -- but they were by no means his followers. In Luke 7 He warned His listeners about the danger of hearing, but not following. In verses 46-49, we read His words, "So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say? I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins."
It is the self-righteous one who confuses their learning with obedience. Wisdom is listening and heeding God's direction, anything else is foolish pride.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner and reveal to me the wisdom of your direction.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 24
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| | This week we are reading Psalm 32, focusing today on verses 10 and 11. The text below is taken from the New Living Translation.
1Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 5Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. 8The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." 10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. 11So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
These last verses echo much of what David has already communicated through this Psalm, about the wicked, or unrepentant, and the righteous, or the repentant. He once again points out the very sharp contrast between these two groups.
A potential mistake we can make as believers reading this psalm is that we are all one and not the other. The reality is that we are all both. As Psalm 32 illustrates, David is both the prideful unrepentant man who is suffering and the humble repentant man filled with joy and overwhelmed with the love of God.
In fact, it is because of our personal experience with those contrasting postures that we understand the gravity of God's forgiveness and love. It is as we become more aware of our own sinfulness that we also become increasingly aware of God's all-sufficient forgiveness. And it is in the ongoing discovery of vast chasm between what we deserve (judgment) and what we receive (grace) through repentance, that we are increasingly overwhelmed by God's infinite love.
Take a moment to read again through David's words, recognizing the joy, freedom, security, and direction he experienced as a result of his confession and repentance -- and his response to God's inconceivable grace and profound love for us.
What amazing an amazing joy belongs to those who belong to Jesus!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner, and reveal to me the love in Your forgiveness.
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