Freedom from Rising Waters of Guilt and Shame

When have you held something inside like a secret? It can be a good kind of secret like waiting to surprise someone with a gift or a party. But there is a "not-so-good" kind of secret that continues to gnaw at you and eat you up inside.

Let’s look at the words of David who held the confession of a sin inside himself and the effect it had on him. He wrote in Psalms 32:3-5,

"[3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. [5] 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."

David attempted to cover up and hide his wrongdoing, but it weighed heavy on him, sapped his strength and made him feel as though he was wasting away. But once he confessed his sin to God and asked for His forgiveness, he was released from the guilt and shame that was eating him up inside.

Why did David receive immediate relief? Because he had faith that God had just as quickly forgiven Him. After receiving that forgiveness, David exclaims in verse 6,

"Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them."

David shares his testimony of God's faithfulness to forgive us... and when we confess our sins, the rising waters of guilt and shame will no longer have the power to overtake us. David finishes this passage with praises to the Lord in verses 10-11,

"...the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"

And David shares more praises in Psalms 103:1-3,

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

So let us not keep our sins, guilt and shame bottled up inside. Let us confess them to our loving Father and ask for His forgiveness because as we read in Psalms 103:12, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Praise the Lord!
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