Lessons From Psalm 32
(Part Two)

5 I acknowledged my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord "; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah.

One of the most difficult things for any man or woman to do is to acknowledge their sins and shortcomings.
We are taught to have confidence in ourselves and to control our own destiny.
We are told from our youngest days to grow up and mature and to be responsible.
As a result, we learn from our own education and by the example of others that sin is not my fault.
So many in the world today try to define sin in various ways that the word has lost its impact.
Many fail to see the need to say, “I’m sorry”.
Many relationships are strained by such pride and ego being displayed.
One person that we cannot hide our sins from is God.
God knows all that we do and even knows why we do it.
Since God already knows, why are we compelled to acknowledge our sin to Him?
It is because we are guilty and we have to recognize our own inability and unworthiness.
That God knows is not a reason not to acknowledge our sins.
Once we confess our sins, the great burden is lifted and taken away, and a sense of well-being and joy comes over us.
The result should be that God would be praised and given glory by us.

6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; Thou dost preserve me from trouble; Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
We have the confidence that God hears the prayers of the righteous and is attentive to their prayers.

So why, if I have sin, am I allowed this privilege?
It is because I am attempting to be godly.
I have learned of my ways that are not considered righteousness, and have confessed to God my sin. (1 John 1:7,9)
The sacrifice of Jesus is once again provided for me to have my sins washed away.
God may be found anytime we want to find Him.
The prophet Isaiah wrote: ”Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near” (55:6)
God is ever ready to provide for us.
All we have to do is ask and seek.
As Jesus promised: “ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find” (Matthew 7:7).
But once we become so overwhelmed by the floodwaters of sin, we find it more difficult to return to God.
It is like getting caught in a rip tide at the beach.
You struggle and fight the waves for survival.
Most people drown because they give up and allow the tide to carry them out to sea, but others survive because they determined to do what they needed to do.
They called for the lifeguard, and they gathered every ounce of strength they could, and in many cases, they called upon the Lord to deliver them from the deep.
There is great danger in the many waters, so let us be careful not to get caught up in the tide of sin.
The farther we are carried away, the lesser the chance to receive salvation.
God is also considered to be our refuge and our hiding place.
How often did we seek the safety and security of the arms of a parent or other adult when we were children?
We learned that dangers abound in the world and safety was something to be cherished and sought.
We have the promise that nothing can snatch us from the security of the hands of God.
That is as long as we ourselves seek His protection.
And yes, God does shower us and surround us with songs of deliverance.
The constant teachings of the Gospel make this fact known.
The fellowship of Christians encourages us to live a tranquil life and to walk righteously before God.
Many of the songs, hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs we sing are written to give us the hope and confidence of our deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.

These verses seem to be written as if God were doing the speaking.
Maybe we could view the words as of a loving father given to his son, and this would certainly be appropriate for our heavenly Father towards us.
The teaching of God is only as powerful as our willingness to be taught.
We have a choice to learn of God or to reject the knowledge of Him and His glory.
Many seem to be very selective in what they want to learn about God and serving Him.
Yet His eye sees us in all that we do, and the knowledge of that fact should impress us to walk and live righteously before Him.
As the presence of security cameras and personnel keep the temptation of theft and wrong doing to a minimum, so our understanding of God’s eyes upon us will be a suitable deterrent to sin.
The apostle Jude described the wicked as unreasoning animals that had to be corralled and bridled up to keep them in check and under control.
Our warning is to not be like them, but to gain understanding, and that comes from the knowledge of God, and our willingness to submit to His will.

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones,
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

True that many sorrows come upon the wicked.
Some are evident, and some are not.
Sometimes we look upon the wicked in a covetous way and see them having fun and enjoying life to the fullest.
We see them involved in all sorts of vice and the world portrays that as the good life.
What we have to avoid is thinking that there are many sorrows upon the righteous as well.
Psalm 34:19 tells us that God delivers him out of all of them.
But a Christian truly understands what a good life really is.
A faithful obedience of God’s teachings will produce the greatest joy.
As we realize that the world offers us death, but Christ offers life.
God through Moses told the people to choose life or death, and that the choice would be found in the choices they made to either serve Him as their God or by the choosing the evils of the world to put their confidence into (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).
There are many verses describing the man who puts his trust into the Lord of heaven.
The central theme of the Old Testament seems to be toward that one goal.
As the Old Testament looks forward, God is asking people to put their faith in Him.
Faith is a trust.
It is a belief that God will take care of us and protect us from evil.
This will happen when we allow God to have first place in our lives.
We cast our care upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
We have the security and safety of His mighty arms as our strength and protection.
When we are cognitive and aware of His abiding presence, we are walking with God.
We walk with confidence and we walk uprightly.
We walk with the intention of allowing others to see that walk and to recognize the glory of God upon us.
Our “peace that surpasses understanding” is one of the most potent weapons we carry with us (Philippians 4:7).
As people view our confidence and serenity, they realize that it is a gift that they do not have and they will inquire about our hope.
Peter tells us to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone that asks you to given an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”(1 Peter 3:15).
When it finally impresses upon our hearts the great joy that God has provided for us, we will shout for joy in ways we had not comprehended before.
We will be so impressed by the greatness of God and His great mercy shown towards us that we will declare it to all we know.
Let us meditate upon our salvation.
Let us contemplate what the Lord has done for us.
Let us consider His ways and realize His great love for us, and the provision He gave us.
Let us gain confidence in God’s salvation.

Conclusion
And finally, let us share that good news with others, and encourage them to do the same.
Who knows, perhaps we will even shout because of the joy within us.
May we all learn more of God and His truths.
May the Lord bless you in your study of His word, and may the Lord look down upon you with loving-kindness.

By Carey Scott

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