DC Devotion: Psalm 32

 BY OLIVIA ARMSTRONG, CURRENT AU STUDENT & DISCIPLESHIP COORDINATOR 

What is forgiveness to you? Think about it. Forgiveness alone is found in God. It is only through him that we can be washed clean of our sins. In Psalms 30, verses 1-2, David says, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and whose spirit is no deceit.” There are three key points that David touches on; you are forgiven, your sins are covered, and your sins do not count against you. We often hide our sins for fear that God will never forgive us. But in reality, he already has. So often we try and hold on to the guilt and don’t forgive ourselves. I think we do this partly because we don’t fully understand what it means when God forgives us. It was never about us. It has and will always be about Jesus. The day he died on the cross, he took all our sins and washed us clean. On that day he forgave all those who betrayed him. If he can forgive them, he can forgive us. David goes on to say, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” We don’t need to know what David’s sin was here to relate. We know it is hard to carry the weight of all our sins and guilt on our own. It takes a toll physically and mentally, but even more, spiritually. Hanging on to that guilt on our own affects how we see God. We choose to believe that he is not ready to forgive us or that we think we messed up so badly that there is no way he could ever forgive us. And that is beyond false. In verse 5, David says, “I acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” And it’s as simple as that. Confess and the Lord will forgive. There is no sin big enough that God cannot forgive. We just have to be willing to take the first step and ask. God loves us. God hears us. God is with us. We just need to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to allow him to flood into our lives.

Anderson University educates students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 50 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized for excellence in business, computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, music, nursing, psychology, and teacher education programs. Established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God, the university remains committed to its Christ-centered mission.