Finding Peace
There is something that I have noticed when it comes to Christians and Easter. We spend the time leading up to resurrection Sunday reflecting on Christ’s actions 2000 years ago, but then it is almost business as usual the days after. For those who are born-again and actively following Christ, there is a certain sense of peace in the days after acknowledging Jesus’s resurrection. However, for those who are struggling with recognizing how Christ can free us from our sins, they are right back in the slumps. Today, I want to encourage anyone who is struggling with finding peace in their faith.
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And I did not hide my guilt; I said, “I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Psalm 32:3-5
We know from scripture that Psalm 32 was written by David, and based on the topics discussed I believe that he wrote this psalm reflecting upon his actions regarding Bathsheba. However, this does not mean that we cannot apply it to us today.
In the first two verses, we see that David is reflecting on how his unrepentant sin was affecting him not only spiritually but physically. David recognizes that God’s hand was against him due to this sin that he was staying silent about. For Christians today who have sin in their life that they are refusing to recognize, maybe due to the misguided idea that once we are saved we do not struggle with sin anymore, there is a feeling that God is against them. It gets harder to walk with God when we refuse to acknowledge the attributes that are separating us from Him. This also goes to those who are not born-again but who are seeking God. If we do not recognize the sin that is keeping us from Him, we will feel as David does in verses three and four.
However, just as in most of scripture when God points out the harsh truth that we cannot atone for our sins on our own, He always provides what can bring us back to Him. That is why verse five is so important. In this verse we see that David has come before God and acknowledge the sin that is in his life; and not only does God forgive him of his sin, but He forgives him of the guilt of it as well! In the absence of guilt comes peace, not peace with sin but peace in knowing that God has forgiven us. Any sin that we have is great enough to separate us from Him, but no sin is big enough that He cannot forgive and remove the guilt we harbor. God is wonderfully caring that once we confess our sins, it is no more. All we need to do is come before Him.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex