Forgiveness
Saturday March 26, 2022
Created by Clara Kral
Psalm 32
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.[b]
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Devotion
Let me start by saying I have a love/hate relationship with the Psalms. I enjoy reading poetry and finding the insight it can offer, but sometimes the Psalms can seem repetitive, obvious, or dull. I almost chose a different reading for today. A cursory glance told me this would be another “Praise be to God” psalm. Not that that’s a bad thing: think about how many songs you enjoy that can be summed up with “love song”. So I decided to take a chance and delve into this text.
Personally, I think it’s fairly simple. David describes the feelings of hiding sin, confession, and forgiveness. I can say that the translation I used gives the best description of dread for the first: “my bones felt limp, and I groaned all day long” (CEV). Using this, I equate David’s experience to my own on really low days. Bones are naturally unable to go limp, but mentally it can be a struggle to move them some days. Every step is another groan, a protest to quit moving forward and lie back down. But, if I spend enough time with myself and recover, I get this huge emotional boost, becoming a ball of excitement and bubbly chaos. No wonder Psalms can seem repetitive at times. They stem from a pure emotional response. When I’m overcome with joy, I am much more likely to try and share that with others than I am on a normal day. I hope David had a huge smile on his face when he wrote this. He’s earned it.
Prayer
Spirit of Rest, remind us of your call to sabbath, to restore not only our energies but our relationships, with you and with all creatures. Amen.
