SURROUNDED BY MERCY
READ:
Psalm
32
He
who trusts in the LORD,
mercy
shall surround him.
-Psalm
32:10
It was almost impossible not to see the
giant billboard with the red background and huge white letters that
shouted: “This year thousands of men will die from stubbornness.” Later I learned that the billboard was
one of hundreds just like it targeted at middle-aged men who typically avoid
routine medical screenings and often die from preventable conditions.
Psalm 32 deals with the spiritual disease of sin, which can be
treated by honest acknowledgment and repentance. The first five verses express the anguish of
hiding our guilt and then celebrate the joyful release of confessing our
transgressions to God and being forgiven.
This psalm goes on to show that the Lord
longs for us to seek His help in difficulty (vv.6-8) and receive His
guidance. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will
guide you with My eye” (v.8). We are hindered, though, when we
stubbornly refuse to follow His direction and repent from our sin.
God’s Word urges us, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule,…which
must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (v.9).
Rather than hold on to our sin, the Lord offers an alternative: When we humbly confess, His mercy shall
surround us (v.10). –David McCasland
Heavenly
Father, help us now
At
thy feet to humbly bow;
Take
away all thought of sin,
Make
us clean and pure within. –Bartels
*************************************
The
first step to receiving God’s forgiveness
is
to admit that we need it.
INSIGHT
Long
after he committed adultery and murder (2 Samuels 11-12), David still had not
repented. Confronted by Nathan the
prophet, David confessed and repented of these sins (12:1-14). Out of this painful experience, David wrote
Psalms 32 and 51, confessing the evil done and celebrating God’s forgiveness.
Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator’s Love Always
Unity and Peace
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