Rejoicing in God’s Forgiveness
Psalm 32:1
How blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!
The truth that God’s blessings are endless is a reality that is hard to comprehend. God loves us so much that He overwhelms us with His blessings. He lavishes blessings upon us. For example, as His children we are given:
Adoption into His family
Acceptance on the basis of the righteousness of Christ
Full access to His presence
Guidance to navigate life’s decisions
Wisdom to help us when we don’t know what to do
Hope in the middle of life’s heartaches
Security to never again worry about eternal life
I could go on and never exhaust the subject of God’s blessings. But today, I am thinking about a specific blessing - the forgiveness of sin!
David, the Shepherd-King wrote in Psalm 32:1 about this forgiveness when he said, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” When we think about King David from the pages of the Old Testament, we think of a great man of God. David was a tender shepherd, a skilled musician, a courageous soldier and strong king. And yes, David was a man after the heart of God. David was all these things, but David was also a sinner and his sin is recorded in the pages of scripture for us to know.
David’s sins are numerous and they include lust, adultery, lying, murder, and deception. However, while we remember the sin of David, let’s not forget the forgiveness of God. The hymn Grace Greater Than All My Sin, written by Julia H. Johnston and Daniel B. Towner, reminds us of the blessing of forgiveness. Consider these lyrics.
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There, where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
David knew God’s forgiveness and so can we. As we ponder the blessing of forgiveness, here are some truths for you to consider.
Covered-up Sin is a Burden
In vs. 3 - 4, David tells us that when he kept his sin to himself, that is, when he covered it up, his heart was burdened and heavy. He says in vs. 4, “my vitality was drained away.” David did what we often do, attempt to hide it, disguise it or ignore it. And when we do, we are only digging the hole deeper and we become burdened and heavy. Our spirit becomes depressed and discouraged.
Confessed Sin Brings Forgiveness
In vs. 5, David said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And with that confession, God promises His forgiveness. And with that forgiveness, our spirit is lifted, our hope is restored and our vitality returns. It is the opposite of the enemy’s lie that freedom comes from concealing our sin. When we confess and do things God’s way, our joy returns.
Someone has said, “What we cover, God uncovers; and what we uncover, God covers!”
Call on Jesus Today
Perhaps you are reading this today and sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit because you have been holding on to sin, covering it up and ignoring God. In Psalm 32:5 - 10, David who is writing under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, says to call on God, to pray. Are you drowning in your sin with flood waters of guilt and conviction rising? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the waves of sin? And as a result, I suspect you feel burdened, heavy in spirit and distant from God. The blessing is that we can heed David’s call; we can pray. And we can pray in confidence that God will hear us, forgive us and cleanse us.
Renew the Joy of the Lord
As we come to vs. 11, the Bible says, “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.” Along with the blessing of forgiveness, comes the blessing of joy. David was made clean and whole again. His walk with God was restored and David experienced renewed joy. In fact he shouted for joy!
Do you want joy again? Do you long for hope? Do you yearn for rest from your sin? Confess your sin and shout for joy. You can shout in the joy of God’s forgiveness today.
As you read Psalm 32 today, name your sin, name your blessings and count forgiveness among those blessings.