“When I kept silent about my sin . . Your hand was heavy upon me.” Psalm 32:3-4 NAS
“Regret for wrong is not enough; only real repentance brings your release.”
My thoughts today are about “the great cover-up.”
Nobody is perfect, most of us far from it. Probably everyone has done some things that they wish had not been done. The issue is not so much what you have done as it is what you are going to do about that. The choices are simple, not complicated – cover up or confess. See Proverbs 28:13-14 NIV. One doesn’t work, the other does. The good news is that when you choose wrong you can change your choice; make it wisely. God will not let you do wrong and not feel its wrongness. He loves you too much for that to happen; you should be very thankful for that. God’s heavy hand is from His heart of compassion towards you.
A loving parent does not ignore their child’s disobedience and misbehavior. Their discipline is not from anger, but out of love and grief. Their love wants the best for you, to spare you from worse consequences later from going uncorrected. “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” Read Hebrews 12:5-11 NLT.
David had grievously sinned, failing God and hurting himself. What he did was terrible. What he did next was stupid. He covered up his wrong, or tried to. That never works very well. He tried to return to life as before as though nothing had changed, but everything had. He had sacrificed his integrity, and the pain he felt was his loss of something invaluable – something and Someone he was never meant to live without.
He was miserable, and God let him grow more miserable. “When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, 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 32:3-4 NLT. A soul’s pain is any feeling of separation from God and sense of the grief God feels for loss of your company. Isaiah 59:2 NIV.
Guilt becomes a growing burden; one you were never meant to bear. It doesn’t go away with time; it worsens, gnawing away at your well-being and self-respect. Ignored, guilt can sear your conscience until you feel little or nothing, and that may feel for a moment like a relief, but that’s worse yet. Guilt has dire emotional and physical effects, as well as spiritual.
Guilt is meant to bring you to God, not push you further from Him. Embrace it and deal with your wrong, the quicker the better. Regret for wrong is not enough; only real repentance brings your release. See 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 NIV. Guilt can be helpful and healthy; condemnation and regret are unhelpful and unholy.
Here’s the answer David found, and it will also work for you, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them . . and You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:5 NLT. Confession works every time; cover-up never does!
My prayer for you is to be quick to deal with wrong. Keep short accounts with God.