Have You Ever Found It Difficult to Apologize?
Good Morning Friends,
We are meditating on the Psalms in worship the last few weeks. There is something comforting about them because Jesus is in them. Even in times of struggle…especially in times of struggle and doubt… they help us to remember God’s presence and God’s steadfast love. They help us to grow. For example: Have You Ever Found It Difficult to Apologize?
Scripture: O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD–how long? Turn, O LORD, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise? I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
Psalm 6 (NRSV)
(God says) I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)
Message: The psalms provide a valuable link from the Old Testament to the New. I understand that about a third of the approximately 300 Old Testament references in the Gospels are taken from them. Jesus sang them. Today we look at one of the penitential psalms. There are seven penitential psalms in total. Typically they are used during Lent but I think they are appropriate for Ordinary time, Green Time…a time for growing. Today’s scripture, a poem, is one of them and is worthy of study, meditation and application. In it we find David crying out to God overwhelmed with guilt and then discovering God’s mercy. I some ways David was a weeping prophet as well as Jeremiah, and this psalm is one of his lamentations. It is in many ways a prayer for the coming of Jesus. So imagine Jesus being there with David as he is praying. Perhaps in its message of God’s steadfast love we too can find mercy…we too can sense the need for the coming of Jesus. Friends, know this, we can have deliverance from despair like David, for we too can be connected to the heart of repentance and the overwhelming love of God. So the next time you are swimming in tears, cling to hope in need of mercy and perhaps in need of offering an apology to others, read it. Cry out for mercy. David did not have the benefit of the work of Christ and yet he in a way he too is leaving his suffering at the foot of the cross. The point is this, none of us were ever meant to live in a woodshed. So, let us face the reality of the problem that is plaguing David and perhaps us as well. It is hard to say that we messed up…that we were wrong. Pride gets in the way and if we royally messed up, even though we knew better it can be difficult because it is embarrassing. Mercy is difficult to receive and apologizes difficult to offer because in our anger we justify what we do as a rational response to another’s offending behavior. The antidote to all this madness is humility. It is what David finds in this Psalm. So when we mess up we have to accept our imperfections as a part of life. Suppressing it separates us. Embracing it allow us to grow. We are who we are and that is why we need Jesus. It is here we see the transformative power of love.
Pray we give in to the Lord .Pray we see Jesus in the Psalms. Pray that when we are at our breaking point that God hears us. Pray we turn away from sin and turn to God for help and hope. Pray we repent. Pray we offer an apology. Pray we turn to Jesus. Pray we realize that victory is not found in beating ourselves up, black and blue, time and time again. Pray that we realize that God will accept the prayers of a repentant heart…a humble heart. Pray we are never starved for God’s affection. Pray we realize that God has forgiven our sins and that after we repent, we should understand that He has forgotten them as well.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 