Sermon Devotional: Service of Lament
Sermon Title: Service of Lament
Scripture: Psalm 32:1-7 (ESV)Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Psalm 32:1-4 NLT
Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Psalm 32:1-4 NLT
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Our CCPC Lenten practice is to walk with Jesus on a pilgrimage from today toward Jerusalem and Holy Week. The small book, Godspeed Pilgrim, by Matt Canlis, is guiding us along the way. Be sure to pick up your copy from the CCPC Narthex. A Service of Lament begins our pilgrimage. Today’s sermon scripture comes from Psalm 32 as we experience The Weight of God’s hand calling us to journey out of darkness and into the Light.
Lent is a season of confession and repentance. Matt Canlis says that the Godspeed Documentary “is a confession.” Although Matt was trained for ministry, it is Matt’s confession that he needed to learn how to walk at Godspeed—the speed of relationships. Relationship with God and with God’s people. This is the pace Jesus walked with his disciples, and it is the way that Jesus invites us to walk with him in our lives today.
Psalm 32 is David’s testimony of having sinned against God. He is telling the story of his sin, his resistance and rebellion, his confession and repentance, and God’s forgiveness and reconciliation. We don’t know the nature of David’s sin, but we do know that he did not want to admit that he was wrong. David tells us that when he “refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long” (v. 3). David experienced holy conviction of his sin that would not ease by any distraction or attempt to hide from the truth. “Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat” (v. 4). God’s merciful and excruciating love pursued David until there was nothing to be done but to acknowledge his sin to God. After hiding and dismissing his sin for a time, David tells us, “I said, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone” (v. 5).
Instead of hiding from God in unrepentant rebellion, David’s repentance and confession has changed everything. He prays, “Lord, ‘You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance’” (v. 7). The weight of David’s sin has been lifted, “all his guilt is gone.” His physical agony and his groaning of body, heart and mind (v. 3) are no more. David is restored to intimate fellowship with his Lord and Savior. He ends this testimony psalm saying, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (vv. 10-11).
Unconfessed guilt becomes an unbearable weight upon our souls. Sin separates us from God, from ourselves and from God’s people. It leads us to deceive and manipulate. Once the deception is conceived, it only traps us into greater sin as we seek to continue our narrative of denial and innocence. But God loves us too much to leave us spiraling into ever increasing darkness. Because David confessed and repented before God, the Lord has become David’s shelter, “a hiding place” (v. 7). God does not want us crushed by shame or held in bondage by our deception. The Lord wants us to be enfolded by his great mercy.
Consider—
╬ Are you bearing the heavy weight of sin today? You don’t need to suffer this agony any longer! Follow David’s example in Psalm 32. Cry out to God. Use David’s words or your own. “I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” We want to pray with you and to celebrate as the Lord of Life forgives you and reconciles you to himself, to your own heart, and to God’s community. Don’t be afraid. Reach out today.
╬ When have you known the weight of God’s hand upon your unrepentant heart and mind? Remember when you confessed your sin to God and experienced his mercy and forgiveness. Like David, tell the story of how God reconciled you to himself. Others need to hear that the excruciating love of God is still available to them.
╬ O Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.