Psalm 38 - 9.2.24
Scripture
Psalms 38:18 NLT
“But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.”
Observation
In this psalm David is expressing his utter misery because of the guilt of his sin. David feels because of his sin, God’s hand is moving against him. He uses imagery of illness, weakened bones, overwhelming burdens, rotting flesh, fever, and loss of strength and relationships due to his sins. Bu,t David doesn’t lose hope. He confesses his sins to God. He shows true remorse and repentance. That is why David continues to fight on. He knows God is a forgiving and loving God, so David waits patiently for God to rescue him.
Application
Worldly Sorrow vs. Godly Sorrow
Worldly Sorrow is basically saying sorry, but still going ahead and continuing with that bad behavior. It’s more of a “sorry for being caught” attitude. But Godly Sorrow leads to conversion and a true change of heart. It is that Godly Sorrow that David shows here in this passage that God desires from each of us.
“The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has will bring death.” -2 Corinthians 7:10 ERV
David knew he messed up. The guilt of his sins were weighing him down and God’s hand that once blessed him, is now punishing him. David knew what he had to do. He had to turn to God, confess his sins, ask God for His forgiveness, and then turn away from those sins. And once David did that, it was like a HEAVY weight was lifted from his shoulders. David’s sorrow turned into hope. 😊 He knew God’s grace, mercy, and love endures forever. ❤️
“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” -Psalms 103:8-12 NLT
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” -1 John 1:9 NLT
So what are we waiting for?! Confess our sins to God today. Turn away from our sins and seek His ways instead. Then, we will experience that heavy burden of shame and guilt lifted from our shoulders. We can live our lives with joy and hope, KNOWING that our sins are forgiven because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. ❤️
Prayer
Father God, thank You for your kindness, goodness, mercy, and grace. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, who willingly died for my sins. Thank You for being so patient with me, a sinner. I ask and pray that You please forgive me of my sins. Give me that Godly Sorrow in my heart, which leads to repentance. May Your Holy Spirit reveal to me any areas of my life where I may have unconfessed sins so that I may seek Your forgiveness and repent from them too. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi