forgiveness

Day 51, Psalm 51

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In this psalm, David is seeking forgiveness for his sins, after the prophet, Nathan, confronted him. Today, the Holy Spirit confronts us when we sin. When He convicts us, it is clear to us what we have done and that we need to seek forgiveness. He points out the sin, but he does not attack our identity.

The enemy, on the other hand, attacks our identity. He may want to convince us we are bad, unworthy, despicable or less than others, because of what we have done. We may not even be sure what we have done, the enemy may just point to the vast canvass of our past. If we are confused and feeling shameful, it is likely the enemy trying to paralyze us.

The hope, described in this psalm, is that we CAN BE forgiven – when we ask to be. God knows when we are truly sorry and He will be faithful to forgive us when we ask.

The way to please you, God, is to be truly sorry deep in our hearts. This is the kind of sacrifice you won’t refuse. Psalm 51:17

See you tomorrow for Psalm 52

Day 38, Psalm 38

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This psalm describes the inner pain and weight of sin. God forgives quickly, but David continues to suffer from the consequences of his actions. To be truly free is to accept the forgiveness Jesus offers us, and to then do the work to learn from our mistakes, repair broken relationships and to forgive ourself and others. When you bring all these complicated emotions to Jesus, he will be faithful to listen and to guide you through the painful side-effects of sin. His love will lead you to and through repentance.

I trust in you , O Lord, and you, O Lord my God, will answer me. Psalm 38:15

See you tomorrow for Psalm 39

Day 32, Psalm 32

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In this beautiful psalm about forgiveness, David gives us a glimpse of how he felt before he confessed his sins and how he felt after. While carrying around his unconfessed sins he felt limp, his bones were wasting away, he felt God’s hand heavily upon him and his strength was diminished.  Once he confessed his sins, God was faithful to forgive him.  Once forgiveh, David rejoices and praises God. 

It is reassuring to know how quickly God is to forgive us.  Why is it so hard for us to forgive sometimes?  When God forgives he also forgets our sins and moves forward with us, surrounding us with His unfailing love.  I think the unforgiveness that we can carry with us for years and years is just as damaging as our own unconfessed sins are to us.  A woman who prayed with me, years ago, told me that if I need help forgiving someone, I should ask Jesus to help me.  Forgiveness is one of his super-powers.  I did as she suggested and with Jesus’s help,  I was able to work through years of unforgiveness.  What a burden-lifter!  I felt free at last.

See you tomorrow for Psalm 33

Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do.

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There’s a song by the Superchicks called, We Live. A line in the song is engraved on my heart. “We live, we love, we forgive and never give up.” I think of it when I am tempted to make a record of a wrong someone has done to me, or, when I get tired of carrying a thoroughly written list around with me. Forgiveness erases the negative records in our hearts and frees up space to record our blessings. If it’s true that we will find what we look for, let’s gather blessings and fuel our hearts to love.

Lord, help us clear out the negative records in our hearts by prompting us to forgive, as you have forgiven us. Give us eyes to see the blessings around us. Amen. #jesuschrist #fathergod #holyspirit #dailydevotional #bibleverse #loveis #forgive