We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
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Psalm 32
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
5 Finally, 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. Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
Devotional Thought: The Gift of an Unguilty Conscience
Of the many jobs I have had in my life, working as a probation officer for a small county court was one of the most interesting, not just because of the various people I was able to work with, but primarily because of the weekly court sessions I attended.
Every week in the courtroom I heard the declaration, ‘not guilty’. Typically when this happened the accused was actually guilty, but by pleading ‘not guilty’ they were given the chance to argue their way towards their preferred verdict. As I observed the lawyer’s litigating gymnastics, I could not help but think, ‘Just say you are guilty, take the consequences for your actions, and move on with your life.’ Even if they were able to win a case, it was clearly observable that they still held a guilty conscience. They may have been freed from the punishment, but not the guilt.
In Psalm 32 we see David reflecting on his own life. He was a guilty man. His sins were many. He was deserving of the consequences of his sin and the guilt which went with it and it physically affected him.
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
It was only when David confessed his sin, was open about his guilt, and accepted the consequences, he received the gift of forgiveness.
5 Finally, 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.
Notice that what David received was not just forgiveness, but freedom from guilt. The crimes he committed did not go away. The consequences of his sin remained. But the guilt attached to them was purged. This is what we may call the gift of an unguilty conscience. Unlike those in the courtroom who may have won their case on a technicality, the guilty conscience remained. In David’s example, we see that true and complete confession is met with true and complete forgiveness, not just of sin, but of the guilt which accompanies it.
Prayer
God of all grace, we confess that often we seek to hide our guilt rather than offer it to you. In doing this we fail to acknowledge the depth of love that you have for us in Christ Jesus. May we, like David, have the courage to offer our sin fully and completely to you. And with humility may we accept, not just your pardon from sin, but your cleansing of our guilty conscience. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Rev. Joseph Wood, PhD
Dean of Students and Lecturer in Theology and Church History