Some Nightly Encouragement: The Truth About God's Forgiveness


Do you ever feel like you’ll never forgive yourself or be able to move on from this or that sin? You know that God forgives you wholly when you repent and know that He has grace and mercy beyond your wildest imagination, but you still can’t shake feeling bad and guilty? You live in the doubt that you’ll never be able to remove this from your “permanent record” with God? If you can’t forget about it, then how will He ever forget about it? When something reminds you of your mess up (a song, TV show, social media, etc.), you let the lie creep in that God’s grace doesn’t reach that thing you’ve done and that it’s a little too much for Him to forgive? Or you believe you’re forgiven by God but you just can’t shake feeling shameful around your friends and others thinking “if they only knew...”?

I’ve been struggling with these feelings, so I wanted to share some truth and encouragement from Psalm 51 that really excites my heart and gives me hope. I came upon the task of reading this psalm as I was reading Fearless by Sadie Robertson. I have read this book of the bible before, but this chapter struck me in a new way tonight. In this psalm, David admits to God that he has sinned against Him. David also procclaims that he was born guilty and was conceived a sinner, as we all are. Essentially, God was fully aware of the fact that we will sin before creating us, but yet, still felt it essential to form and give life to each one of us.

Then, David goes on to say that “the sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise” (vv. 17 NRSV). That is to say that if we bend our knee to the Lord and offer Him, with a sorrowful heart, our brokenness, our sin, all the ways we have fallen short, we please Him more than we could with any other sacrifice. So feelings of remorse are good at first as we offer our sins to the Lord, but we must not stay that way. Thus, David adds this declaration; “wash me, and I will be whiter than snow”. You offer your broken and sinful heart but now it is made pure, brand new, as if you had never sinned!! The verse “wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (vv. 2 NRSV) has also been on my heart, as the priest says this as he washes his hands before consecrating the Eucharist in mass. As I read this verse, my heart literally did a dance! I know this sounds silly, but to hear this verse directed at my heart and know that it is not just something God does for the priest but for me as well made me extremely joyful!

So God makes our hearts whiter than the snow (WOW!) and then He calls us to live like it! Not only does he put a clean heart in us after we repent, but He also puts a new and right spirit in us! He renews our spirit to be one of rejoicing with our eyes on Him. He doesnt want our eyesto remain cast down to the ground wanting to hide in guilt. So may we act in this way, live like we have new hearts! Go on, walking in the freedom that God gives us. God makes us new according to His abundant mercy and steadfast love, so let us accept it, and  live and rejoice in this truth- this freedom God offers us!

I pray tonight that you may know that when you repent for your sins God forgives you and your heart is clean! May you accept this freedom He offers and may your heart be encouraged and made joyful by these verses and this truth just as they made mine!


Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 29, 2018 at 9:17 AM

    I love this! It is all so true and very inspirational to me!

    ReplyDelete

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