PREVIEW: “What joy there is for those whose sins are forgiven!” So wrote King David. When God forgives you, your sins are not only covered, they are also neutralized, vaporized, and remembered no more. David had committed several egregious sins against Almighty God (2 Samuel 11) and against the very people he was called to shepherd as king over Israel. He had royally (no pun intended) messed up, so in this psalm he was talking from first-hand experience about the before and after picture of the forgiven life. He, more than most people, knew the indescribable joy in having his sin-slate wiped clean. I know that joy, too, and I suspect you’ve experienced it as well. How privileged we are to belong to a God who forgives all our sins — and does so with great joy. I can’t think of a greater benefit and blessing in this life than that.
A Journey of Worship // Psalm 32:1-2
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
What would life be like for you without God’s forgiveness? I don’t know about you, but I’d be depressed, fearful, under so much guilt I doubt if I could function, and worst of all, hopeless. There would be no joy — I would be stuck in the quicksand of regret for things I had done in my past, I would have no sustained energy to face what I need to do throughout this day, and I would have no courage to face the unknowns of tomorrow. I would be a royal mess!
Oh, I could postpone all those sad realities of an unforgiven life by some sort of other coping mechanism. I could numb all my pains by drinking or doing drugs. I could temporarily avoid that reality by overworking or overspending or overachieving or overeating or oversleeping. I could get a momentary feel-good fix through Internet porn or an extra-marital affair or some other sort of sexually addictive behavior to forget about the fact that I am hopelessly lost. I could surround myself with all kinds of friends through non-stop partying, being funny, playing sports incessantly, or overloading my calendar with other social activities. There are all kinds of ways I could avoid the pain of the unforgiven life. Lots of people do that every day — that’s how much of the world copes.
But that doesn’t negate the awful truth that they are living an unforgiven life. They can only postpone their hopeless reality for so long, but at some point, living a life apart from a forgiving God will come home to roost.
I realize have painted a pretty bleak and depressing picture — not a great way to start a devotional—but it’s true.
On the other hand, what joy there is for those whose sins are forgiven! Not just forgiven but covered…neutralized…vaporized and remembered no more. David, who wrote that psalm, had committed several egregious sins against Almighty God (2 Samuel 11) and the very people he was called to shepherd as king over Israel. He had royally (no pun intended) messed up, so in this psalm, he was talking from first-hand experience about the before and after picture of the forgiven life. He, more than most people, knew the unbearable pain of having messed up (“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat” Psalm 32:3-4) and the indescribable joy in having his sin-slate wiped clean (“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” Psalm 32:1).
I know that joy, too, and I suspect you’ve experienced it as well. How privileged we are to belong to a God who forgives all our sins — and does so with great joy. I can’t think of a greater benefit and blessing in this life than that.
Perhaps you are wondering if God can really forgive you for all the bad things you have repeatedly done. The answer to your wonder is, yes, he can. Forgiveness is who he is (“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” Ex 34:6-7). Forgiveness is what he does (“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:3-4) And forgiveness is what brings him joy (“You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” (Micah 7:18)
I don’t know what you are facing this day, but I hope the simple fact that God has completely forgiven you will brighten your day and give you a profound joy that will sustain you for the rest of your life.
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