Day 356 – Scriptures of Peace

December 23, 2022

Psalm 32:3-7

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Daily Devotion

Sweet Peace, The Gift of God’s Love

By: Yoga Raj

Psalms 32:1-5 (NIV)

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. 

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

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.

(A couple of years ago (Dec 15, 2020) I had shared a devotion on Psalms 39 titled “Peace in Forgiveness”. I have taken a few references from there).  

Yes, it is such a terrible feeling to be convicted of our sins. It is a burden to be drowned in our failures, guilt and shame. We can see David mourn, groan and grieved by the heaviness of the Lord’s hand upon him. How exhausting and draining it is to be chastised by the living God. We feel distress and agony when the Lord deals with our sins and rebellion. There is a disturbed and unsettled feeling when we realize that the Lord’s hand is on us as part of His discipling and correction process. On the contrary, the Bible asks to look at it in a different perspective.Job 5:17-18(NIV) Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.

Here is the reason why. The Lord’s corrections open the door for GODLY SORROW and TRUE REPENTANCE.  In 2 Corinthians 7:10 Paul says, ‘Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret’. We can praise and thank God when He pierces our hearts and reveals to us the depth of our sins. It is the first step towards authentic change. Seeing ourselves as we really are and feeling truly sorry for our sinfulness is the ‘Godly sorrow’ that brings genuine repentance. True repentance is painful, but without it we can never be free from our burdens. When we truly repent, God’s grace blesses us with the love and FORGIVENESS that satisfies our needs. He gives us PEACE. That is what it means to be set free in Christ!

I can relate to these lines very much. I have made grave mistakes during the periods of my spiritual deadness and lows. There are things that I am not proud of and that I can’t even openly confess and talk about. We can sin with our actions and attitudes. There are sins that could be committed in our hearts and minds. Sins that violate the explicit commandments the Lord had given to Israel. Sins that violate the moral laws. In Psalms 19:12-13 “Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.” David prays to forgive him for his “hidden sins”.  The ones that a person may commit without realizing it until later. He also prays to the Lord to restrain him from committing willful sins, called “presumptuous sins”. Willful sins are committed with the eyes wide open, fully aware of what is being done.

I had carried the burden of my sins for many years, not understanding the forgiving nature of the Lord. But as I grew in my walk with Jesus, and had a deeper relationship with Him, I started to realize the true nature of the Lord and better understood His mercies and grace. I have experienced the sweet peace that comes from His forgiveness when I had confessed to Him and truly repented.

There is peace when we forgive others. There is peace when we know that we have been forgiven by the ones we have offended. There is peace when we forgive ourselves. Most of all, there is peace when we know that the Lord, by his abundant love, grace and mercy has FORGIVEN US!

Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s love https://youtu.be/bD86DtVM15k