1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Iacknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me withshouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
This psalm touches my heart in many ways as I’m sure it does to you, too. After reading through the passage, I noticed how much David stresses that we lay our sins before God and do not attempt to deceive or hide these sins from Him. This is shown in verse 4 when David admits that holding his sins back from God only made him weak, “for day and night your hand was heavy upon me.” But when David confesses his sin to the LORD and does not cover it up, the LORD forgave the guilt of David’s sin.
Wow. This psalm really convicts my heart. It makes me want to cry out to God and give Him everything because He deserves everything. And when I give Him everything, it says in verse 7 that God will be my hiding place and will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance! How awesome is that! As this new year unfolds, I challenge you (and myself) to acknowledge your sins to God. Repent by asking God for forgiveness AND make a commitment to God to stop sinning. And the greatest thing is that as a result of all this, God’s grace and forgiveness will be sufficient to cover your sin completely!
Father, I surrender to you today because I know that my own strength is not enough. I have held back my iniquites from you and allowed them to hold me in bondage. I release and acknowledge these sins to you. I receive your amazing grace and forgiveness. This year I will no longer be a slave to fear and sin! Instead, I am forever yours Jesus, a child of the living God!
