God’s Kindness for Sinners
The fight against sin can leave you wallowing in shame, guilt, and fear. If you’ve ever felt the weight of your sin or shame, hear this: In Christ, your sins are forgiven and your shame is erased. You see, the very reason Christ came to this earth and walked obediently and perfectly was so that he could deal—once and for all—with the reality and the effects of sin on this world. When he hung there on the cross, he bore the weight of every one of our sins; he faced separation from the Father so that we would never have to. When he uttered the words “it is finished,” he secured our freedom from shame and guilt and fear forever and ever. We can now live in relationship with the Father because of what Christ has done on our behalf!
This week we’re talking through the specialized lament psalms, which include penitential psalms, or psalms that express the writer’s remorse or guilt over sin, as well as several psalms of judgment, which show us God’s heart for justice. These are weighty psalms, but you’ll see that even here—in the midst of the shame and guilt and fear—there is hope to be found. These psalms show us the gracious heart of God, who calls out to us in our wretchedness and offers us redemption and relationship.
SPECIALIZED LAMENT PSALMS OVERVIEW
The penitential psalms, in particular, are so beautiful because they give language to the cries of our own hearts when we wrestle with shame over our own sin.
It can be so easy to believe that in the midst of our sin God is uncompassionate, angry, distant, or apathetic. But no. Our God calls to the sinner in the middle of her wretchedness (Rom. 5:8). Our God pursues the broken in the deepest part of her pain. Our God redeems every broken story and turns it into a story of hope and beauty.
Our God is the one whose heart toward sinners extended so deeply that he himself took on human flesh. Christ himself came to bear the sin, the shame, the guilt. He lived perfectly and in full obedience to God, and yet he fully took on our sin, bearing God’s wrath toward sin so that, by his life, death, and resurrection we could experience freedom from it. In Christ we need not fully bear the burden of our sin, because he has already done so.
Even as thousands of years ago David looked to God to cleanse him from his sin, we can look back with assurance that Christ has cleansed us from our sin. He has secured our state as eternally-clean before the Father. Instead of wallowing in guilt, we can allow the grief we experience over our sin to plunge us further into his grace.
It can be so, so easy to hide from God—ignoring him and his Word when you’re struggling with sin. It might feel counterintuitive to run toward him when you’re drowning in shame. But this is the beauty of having a loving, perfect Father. Even when you are pulled under by the rip current of your sin—perhaps even especially when you are swimming in shame—this is when his tender heart for you is most clear.
The depth of God’s grace meets us even in our deepest sin. The Father seeks out his children and pulls us out of the pit of our sin, guilt, and shame—we can’t climb our way out without him. There is no sin too shameful to separate you from the love of God. Even when you feel like the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15), you are not alone—Jesus Christ is your hope to overcome sin. And one day when humanity is redeemed we will exist in perfect relationship with God—as it was before the fall, completely free of shame and guilt and fear.
If you’ve ever felt the weight of your sin or shame, hear this: In Christ, your sins are forgiven and your shame is erased. You see, the very reason Christ came to this earth and walked obediently and perfectly was so that he could deal—once and for all—with the reality and the effects of sin on this world. When he hung there on the cross, he bore the weight of every one of our sins; he faced separation from the Father so that we would never have to. When he uttered the words “it is finished,” he secured our freedom from shame and guilt and fear forever and ever. We can now live in relationship with the Father because of what Christ has done on our behalf!
When you feel like you’re drowning in your fight against your sin, may you see the Lord as worthy, holy, and sufficient to cover every one of your sins. Would you look to Jesus when you feel your sin and shame trying to creep back in. May you treasure Christ over every single thing in this world, and may you find victory and repentance from your sin as you look to him.
RESOURCES
In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions Through the Psalms
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
In the midst of your struggle with sin, is it more natural for you to turn away from God than to turn to him? Why do you think that is?
How might understanding God’s tender heart toward you—even in your sin—lead you to worship today? How might that help you fight your sin?
How does thinking about God pulling you out of the pit of sin, guilt, and shame? How does meditating on what he’s done for you in Christ change the way you turn from your sin and fight for holiness?
How does your view of God change when you think about his tender heart toward you, even in the depths of your sin?
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Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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