The Joy of Forgiveness
Psalm 32 NRSV
Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah
Therefore, let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
A PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Rev. David Henderson
First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC
Gracious Father,
You have given us souls that will only be satisfied when filled with you, but we have filled them with the pleasures of this vain world.
You have given us minds to think your thoughts after you, but we have used them to dream up ways in which to glorify ourselves and boast about our lives.
You have blessed us with eyes to see your beauty, but we have used them for gazing upon the lusts of our hearts.
You have given us lips to praise your Holy Name, but we have used them to take your name in vain.
Most precious of all, you have given us your Son, but we have gone after other lovers. And he has given us his Spirit, to empower us to witness to Christ and walk in righteousness, but we have forsaken this calling and grieved the Spirit by our sins.
Forgive us, we pray.
Wash us clean in the blood of Christ.
Hide us in his righteousness and renew us by the power of your Spirit.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
O Breath of Life, Come Sweeping Through Us
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
