Click here to watch my video reflection on our text for today, or keep reading for my written reflections: 

Today in our readings, we do one of my favorite spiritual things, we look deeper at a Psalm.  Today we’ll look at Psalm 38.  I want to look especially at 1-5 and 17-22: 

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
    or discipline me in your wrath.
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.
5 My wounds grow foul and fester
    because of my foolishness;
17 For I am ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
    I am sorry for my sin.
19 Those who are my foes without cause are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good
    are my adversaries because I follow after good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
    O my God, do not be far from me;
22 make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation.

I love the Psalms so much because of how honest they are, especially David.  You feel everything that David is thinking and feeling.  That is what is happening in this Psalm and that’s why I want to look at these two sections.  

First, in v 1-5, we see David struggling with his sin. And whose fault is it? It is his.  We see him say, his wounds grow because of his foolishness. That is what sin does to us; all sin. It wounds us, it festers. Some wounds from sin are visible, but most aren’t.  

Our pride wounds our soul. Our greed wounds our soul.  Lust wounds our soul.  God does not prevent the consequences of our actions. We do things that are harmful, it is not God’s “fault” it happens.  I walk out in traffic, the car hitting me is not God’s judgment against me, it is the consequence of my actions. That is what David is saying here.  He has done things that are wrong. They were thoughts, actions, and deads that he should not have done.  

And now he is wounded because of that. Whose fault is that?  His.  

That is so important for us to know. Because without that, we don’t know the beauty of the next part.  Because then David says – forgive me. Save me.  Do not be far from me.  

God saves us. God forgives us.  As great as our sin is, it is not greater than the blood of Jesus Christ.  In our very creed, we have this line – I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins…..

The forgiveness of sins is in our creed the same that the resurrection and the virgin birth are. It is as central to our faith as those key doctrines. The forgiveness of sins as much an essential part of an orthodox faith as any other essential doctrine of the Chrisitan church. 

As Christians, we hold in the deepest core of our beliefs this truth – if you confess, you will be forgiven.  

So yes, our sin does great harm to us, to our souls, and to our lives. But as great as our sin may be today, as great as this wound my feel in our lives, know this. Forgiveness of sins is even greater. 

If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9.  

If you’d like to get each day’s daily scripture reading sent to your phone along with this reading guide, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up!