Reflection
There is a great amount of joy that comes with being forgiven. How great it
is to be free of guilt and shame! And there is also an imperative and that
is to continue to seek and live for the Lord. If the first half of the
Psalm is about the joy of the forgiven, this second half is about the life
of the forgiven.
Being a Christian and being one who has been forgiven, means that we aren’t
left to our own devices but we can call on the name of the Lord and seek
him. As we do so, this doesn’t necessarily mean that life will all be easy
with health and wealth but it does mean that in the mess of a broken world
we can cry out and trust in the one who is in control. We can hide and take
refuge in the knowledge that God is good, God is trustworthy, God is
loving, and that all things work to the good of those who trust in him.
Things in this life may take away our health, our money, our independence,
and even our very lives, but nothing can take away the sure certainty of
eternal life with him.
As well as trusting in the Lord, we are also called to obey him. In verse 8
the language switches to as if God was speaking. The best way to live is
how he has designed us to and he is watching over us. This doesn’t mean
that God has got us on CCTV ready to whack us back into line when we do the
wrong thing but it means that God is lovingly looking out for us. Like a
parent lovingly and carefully watching a child swim, God is watching us. So
there’s no point in being stubborn and not living his way. It only leads to
more hardship and tricky situations. Zacchaeus recognised this and repented
and began living for God. He truly repented! Our call is to follow his
example, to continually day by day confess our sins and commit afresh to
turning away from them and turning to live for Jesus and rejoice in the
Lord. MC
Questions
How are you regularly crying out to and seeking out God?
Where in your life is it difficult to obey God? Who could you ask to help?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help us to pray to you, to hide in you, to rest in you.
Help us to obey you. Thank you that we can come to you in repentance and
may your Spirit be at work in us, transforming us to obey you. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.
The psalm begins with proclaiming how great or blessed it is for the one
who has had their sins forgiven. In some translations, they use the word
‘joyful’ here. How joyful it is to be forgiven. Then, the psalmist lays out
what the opposite is like. If we don’t bring our sins to God it’s like
having aches and pains all day long, it’s like dragging a heavy backpack
around, it’s like going for a walk in North Queensland in the middle of
summer in the heat and humidity! Having sin that is kept secret even before
God (not that it is a secret to God anyway!) Is not a good idea. It only
leads to further guilt and tremendous shame.
However, we can come to God. Verse 5 is such great news for us. We can come
to God and acknowledge our failures, confess our sins, and we can be
confident that he will forgive them. We can have this confidence because of
Jesus. He came to seek and save the lost, he came to bring forgiveness and
he secured it in his death on the cross and rising to new life. And so we
can join in with the joy of the psalmist and the joy of Zacchaeus for,
“blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven”. MC
Questions
What does it mean to be ‘blessed’?
Have you experienced the heavy load of sin before? How did you react?
How can we have relief from this heavy load?
Prayer
Loving Lord, I am sorry for my sin. I have left undone what I ought to have
done and I have done what I have ought not to have done. Please forgive me.
Thank you for the assurance of forgiveness through Jesus. In his name,
Amen.
