The Joy of Forgiveness

Psalm 32 is a Psalm of wisdom and a great penitential one as well.  There is so much happening within its eleven verses.  It is believed that David wrote the Psalm following his infamous affair with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11). The psalm starts off with a description of blessings:

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered (atoned)*. 

Blessed is the man to whom 

the Lord does not impute iniquity, 

And in whose spirit there is no deceit. vv 1-2

Then David shifts gears a bit and talks about how he has kept silent about a sin he has committed.  This is not to say that the Lord doesn't know about the sin, but that he has failed to confess the sin to the Lord.  We all know that the Lord doesn't need us to tell him what we did wrong, He knows exactly what we did wrong, but he wants us to confess our sin-acknowledge our wrong doing and repent. 

When I kept silent, my bones grew old

Through my groaning all the day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. vv 3-4

Now David realizes the consequences of the failure to confess...so he finally confesses in verses 5-6:

I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity (immoral behavior)* I have not hidden.

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. 

He is feeling much, much better now that he confessed and is forgiven.  He knew, like we do, that when we don't confess our sin, we are separating ourselves from the Lord.   Then, overjoyed because the load of "hidden sin" was taken from him through his confession/repentance, he decides to warn people to do the same and then quickly changes to address the Lord and acknowledges His protection:

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You

In a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters

They shall not come near him.

You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. vv 6-7

Then the speaker (David) changes and the Lord "comes in" the psalm to also instruct the people.  

I will instruct you and teach you 

in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye.

Do not be like a horse or like the mule,

Which have no understanding 

Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,

Else they will not come near you. vv 8-9

The Lord is asking us to trust Him and let Him teach us the way which we should go.  He is mentioning "mules" and "horses" (which are both stubborn animals) and tell us not to be like them.  He wants us to respond to Him quickly and on our own accord-not being dragged or forced.  Lastly, David ends the hymn by contrasting the many sorrows of the wicked with the joy of the believer and instructing the believer to praise the Lord:

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;

But he who trusts in the Lord,

mercy shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;

And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!  vv 10-11

Like I said, this psalm has it all: Praise, Acknowledgment of sin and the consequences of hiding it; Confession and repentance; Warning to the righteous; More praise; The Lord's warning; Comparison of wicked and righteous; And finally, instruction to praise the Lord.  I just LOVE this psalm.

We've all tried ,at some point or another, to hide our transgressions from the Lord (as if we could) and have paid dearly for it-mostly in the fact that we are "not right" with Him.  When we confess our sin, the "earthly" consequences of our actions don't necessarily disappear, but our relationship with the Lord is restored and we must rejoice and praise the Lord for that!

  

* definition added~ word in parenthesis are not part of the the Psalm.

Where to Find Comfort & Encouragement in the Psalms

When you feel abandoned--------------------------------------------->Psalm 10
When your world seems to be falling apart---------------------->Psalm 46
When you are afraid------------------------------------------------------>Psalm 23;91
When you feel guilty------------------------------------------------------>Psalm 51
When your family gets on your nerves----------------------------->Psalm 127;128
When you are facing a daunting challenge----------------------->Psalm 27
When you are discouraged by the apparent prosperity
of the wicked---------------------------------------------------------------->Psalm 37;73
When you do not feel very thankful--------------------------------->Psalm 107
When you feel as if God has forgotten you---------------------->Psalm 139
When you are tempted to lose faith in God--------------------->Psalm 62
When you have lost your eternal perspective------------------->Psalm 90
When you feel like you are barely hanging on------------------>Psalm 86
When you are wondering what God expects-------------------->Psalm 15
When you want to know God better-------------------------------->Psalm 42;63
When you need to be reminded of the goodness of God--->Psalm 103
When you need to recommit yourself to serving God-------->Psalm 116
When you need wisdom------------------------------------------------>Psalm 119
When you need a reminder of God's mercy--------------------->Psalm 136
When you feel like celebrating--------------------------------------->Psalm 95-100

I copied this from my new bible (which I love). 

The Practice of the Presence of God

This book is amazing.  It is based on letters and spiritual maxims of Brother Lawrence.  If you never read it, I highly recommend that you do.  This humble, servant of the Lord (Brother Lawrence) has a very simple way of explaining what he was able to accomplish~to have a continual presence of God in his life.  He gives many examples of how we can all obtain this great blessing, but he warns us that it will not come easy.  We need to want it and seek it.  We must work hard at it, failing at many times, but not allowing that to discourage us or to turn our focus from it.   He explains how we should have a continual conversation with the Lord-not one of with strict rules and many fancy words.  He talks about how our minds will wander off at first and how we are to not feel discouraged because of it but we are to re focus and move on. Another advise he gives is to say a little prayer before, during and after we are "interrupted" from our continual conversation (be it for work/children/chores, etc).  And when we are done performing whatever task we had done, we are to analyze "how" we did it.  Did we do anything that was displeasing to the Lord? if not, then give praise to Him for allowing you to do your job well, and  if we did sin in any way, humbly ask for His forgiveness and move on.  I wish I could write down all my favorite quotes, but if I did, I would have to copy most of the book...so here's a few that stood out for me:

1. "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."
2. "We ought to help one another by our advice, and yet more by our good examples."
3. "Believe me, count as lost each day you have not used in loving God."

 

**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

The Bible~God's Holy Book

This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.

Christ is its subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.

It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgment, and be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts.

- Author Unknown

My Daily Walk with the Lord

I will be posting, under this tag, what the Holy Spirit is revealing to me through my daily reading of the Bible. In 2009 my family and I started reading through the Bible under a yearly schedule from the One Year Bible Online website. I also created a group on Facebook (Let's Read the Entire Bible in One Year Challenge!) where members could join, ask questions and encourage each other in the Lord. That year was one of the greatest years of my life. I learned so much! I had read most of the Bible before, but never every word. We loved it so much that in 2010, our family decided to do it again. Well, you guessed it, we were so blessed by it in 2010 that we are reading through it again this year. For me, this will be something that I commit to do for the rest of my life. I will read the entire Bible every year until I breath my last. I will be posting some of my favorite verses as well.