I'M Sorry God! week 1

Lenten Series :A look at the 7 Penitential Psalms of David

As we begin the season called Lent, the preparation time for Easter, I want to focus our spiritual emphasis on being serious about looking at the sin in our lives and how it affects our relationship with God. To do so, I want to focus on the Psalms written by King David about the topic, and his growth over time in both understanding how sin impaired his ability to relate to God, and to rule his kingdom.

Week 1 (March 2nd 2022) Read psalm 6

6:1 "O Lord do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath."

Beginning the journey: In Psalm 6 David acknowledges the basics of the penitential relationship. First, he admits that God is angry with him for his behavior. Once he makes the admission it follows that without God close by his side, he is scared and alone. Do you ever feel that way about your relationship with God? That God has become distant, that you have been abandoned? Over the decades, I have come to understand that it is me that moved not God. My actions and behaviors have caused me to drift away from my place near God. Like David it usually takes until I feel surrounded by “enemies” who are out to do me harm before I realize just how far from God I have wandered. I realize that I am, literally at times, shaking or terrified, and I wonder like David in verse 3 “how long God”.

The second thing that David admits is that only God can fix this mess. It is followed by an admission that I have struggled with for years: God has to do it, and the only reason he has to do it is because, despite everything I have done, He loves me. I don’t deserve it, I can’t earn it, and I will probably mess up again.

The Good News is that when we come back, and ask, God is faithful and says “yes, I will forgive you.” When we are close to God, the enemies will flee, for nothing in the universe can do evil to those who are in the protection of the Most High.

Action: Spend this week pondering the great mystery of God’s love and practicing talking with Him each day about how you might have fallen short of His will for you and how you can stay closer to Him in your prayer life.