Week 1, Day 5
Start with 2 minutes of silence
Scripture : Psalm 32
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit here is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Devotional : A New Perspective
By Joe Crawford
When I go camping and must actively pump and filter my water liter by liter from a river to drink, cook, and wash it always forces me to reflect on my water use at home. At home, the water is seemingly endless, and I use it wastefully. Camping in the wilderness renews my perspective on water use.
Likewise, the spiritual wilderness can give perspective on sin and how we engage with it. The psalmist in the text shares a personal testimony about sin and their time in the spiritual wilderness where they engage in the reality of their sin. When the psalmist was silent and did not confess sin, it adversely affected their life. And after they acknowledged and illuminated their sin before God they were forgiven and resumed worship in community.
If the spiritual wilderness affords you new perspective on sin you have three broad strategies in engaging sin:
Cover it up
Deny (the) sin exists
Confess your sin to Jesus Christ, repent, and rejoin the songs of praise of God’s deliverance.
Question to consider:
Although concealing and denying sin sounds foolish when stated so plainly, are these strategies you have employed when God revealed sin in your life and community?
Prayer
Jesus make me brave enough to confess my sin when you have gifted me perspective on it.
Close with two minutes of silence