Seven Penitential Psalms -Week 2

Ministerial Musings for 3/9/2022

Read Psalm 32 in your favorite translation.

Key verse: 32:5 “Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin.”

As King David is growing in understanding of the relationship and process of penitential forgiveness he pens this psalm. Psalm 32 opens with a beautiful description of how the person close to God feels; and then in verse 3, David flips the scene to describe how he felt when he kept his sins inside and refused to admit them to God. In verse 5, David reveals the eternal truth – when we acknowledge our failings to God, He is faithful to forgive and take away all those drained feelings, restoring us to spiritual, emotional, and even physical health (at times). Verses 6 and 7 give us a powerful reminder of what is available when we will stay close to God by admitting our failures and short comings on a regular basis. This is one of the reasons why we stress the need for a daily prayer habit. If you spend time every day in a prayer relationship with God, you will grow closer and closer to Him. You will naturally begin the process of confessing your sins daily and will never have to be afflicted by the consequences of being far from God.

As you spend time this week reflecting and rereading this psalm consider the process that David has laid out before us. Where are you on King David’s spiritual chart? What do you need to do to draw closer to God, so you can experience the blessings available to those who call on God? What shortcomings do you need to confess, so you can receive God’s healing touch in your life?