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The Need for Forgiveness
How did David find relief to his agony? Ps. 32:1–5; see also 1 John 1:9. How can we find this same thing for ourselves?
The guilt produced by unconfessed sins may become extremely painful. The expressions used by David are a clear indication of intense, inward pain. Psalm 32 and other passages in Psalms show the severity of David’s emotional distress.
When we meet sufferers of depression, we must be extremely careful not to blame them for not having confessed their sins! Nor should we simply conclude that they are wicked people, and that’s why they are in distress. It is unfortunate that many people seem to be able to offer concern and understanding to those suffering from an organic malady, true clinical depression, but tend to be quite judgmental in dealing with mental or emotional turmoil brought about by their own wrong actions.
Edgar Allen Poe in his “Tell-Tale Heart” refers to the story of a man who committed murder and hid the victim’s body under the floorboards of the room in which the murder had been committed. He hoped to leave his guilt hidden with the body, but a strong sense of remorse grew within him. One day he heard the victim’s heart beat; and the beat grew louder and louder. Later it became clear that the pounding was coming not from the grave below but rather from his own heart.
At the same time, too, there are people who, having confessed their sins, still suffer greatly from a sense of guilt anyway. They often feel unworthy of forgiveness and lament the horrible suffering that they have brought through their sins, even though they have been confessed and are, by faith, forgiven by God. This, too, can be a great source of emotional distress. In such cases, it’s important to focus on God’s promises of healing and of acceptance, even for the worst of sins. We can’t undo the past; what we can do, by God’s grace, is seek to learn from our past mistakes and, to whatever degree possible, make restitution for whatever wrong we have done. After all, all we can do is surrender to God and seek His mercy, grace, and healing.
Many, having confessed their sins, still struggle with guilt over them. Why is it so important that we acknowledge our sins, take responsibility for them, and learn to move on and get past whatever wrongs we have done?
| WEDNESDAY | February 9 |
How did David find relief to his agony? Ps. 32:1–5; see also 1 John 1:9. How can we find this same thing for ourselves?
The guilt produced by unconfessed sins may become extremely painful. The expressions used by David are a clear indication of intense, inward pain. Psalm 32 and other passages in Psalms show the severity of David’s emotional distress.
When we meet sufferers of depression, we must be extremely careful not to blame them for not having confessed their sins! Nor should we simply conclude that they are wicked people, and that’s why they are in distress. It is unfortunate that many people seem to be able to offer concern and understanding to those suffering from an organic malady, true clinical depression, but tend to be quite judgmental in dealing with mental or emotional turmoil brought about by their own wrong actions.
Edgar Allen Poe in his “Tell-Tale Heart” refers to the story of a man who committed murder and hid the victim’s body under the floorboards of the room in which the murder had been committed. He hoped to leave his guilt hidden with the body, but a strong sense of remorse grew within him. One day he heard the victim’s heart beat; and the beat grew louder and louder. Later it became clear that the pounding was coming not from the grave below but rather from his own heart.
At the same time, too, there are people who, having confessed their sins, still suffer greatly from a sense of guilt anyway. They often feel unworthy of forgiveness and lament the horrible suffering that they have brought through their sins, even though they have been confessed and are, by faith, forgiven by God. This, too, can be a great source of emotional distress. In such cases, it’s important to focus on God’s promises of healing and of acceptance, even for the worst of sins. We can’t undo the past; what we can do, by God’s grace, is seek to learn from our past mistakes and, to whatever degree possible, make restitution for whatever wrong we have done. After all, all we can do is surrender to God and seek His mercy, grace, and healing.
Many, having confessed their sins, still struggle with guilt over them. Why is it so important that we acknowledge our sins, take responsibility for them, and learn to move on and get past whatever wrongs we have done?
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