God Forgives

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” – and you forgave

the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5

1. Okay, Okay, I am not the first to say it but, here it is. Confession is good for the soul. I wonder if, as sinful beings, we truly understand and are grateful for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

2. Let’s face it, everyone has sinned. Sometimes, we may sin even if we do not realize or plan it. Even biblical kings like Saul and David, heroes like Aaron and Moses sinned. Are we any different?

3. ike our hereos of the Bible each of them understood that God was merciful and repentance was necessary for forgiveness.

4. David was faithful in asking for God’s forgiveness. He understood that God forgives all sins and his mercy endures forever. The Lord loved David.

5. I believed that when David tried to conceal his sin, he was ridden with guilt and felt awful. perhaps he had difficulty sleeping, eating and enjoying the life that God had planned for him. He soon discovers that God not only forgives sins, but removes the guilt that remained with him from his past. For David, having his sins forgiven was a great blessing.

6. The Creator delivered him from his iniquities without question or strings attached and the burden of his sins was lifted. God is truly remarkable! What is even more amazing - the same power of forgiveness that He rendered for David is given to each of us. This is the Good News! In 1 John 1:9 it states that, “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

7. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb that paid the price for every sin that was ever committed, no matter what the sin. The problem is, sometimes we, like David, are ridden with guilt or not humble enough to ask for forgiveness. Our egos, biases, and arrogance get in the way of embracing God’s mercy for us in our failings.

I pray that no matter what our sins are, whether we think of them as being minute, obscure or too numerable to mention, if we with humble hearts bow before the Great I Am and confess our sins, He is more merciful than we give him credit for. Only when we confess our transgressions will we be able to experience the joyfulness of Thanksgiving and peace from Christ the King.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen. ( Lutheran Book of Worship 56 based on 1 John 1:8)