The Power of Forgiveness

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1        Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.

2        Blessed is the one

whose sin the Lord does not count against them

and in whose spirit is no deceit. 

3        When I kept silent,

my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4        For day and night

your hand was heavy on me;

my strength was sapped

as in the heat of summer. 

5        Then I acknowledged 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. 

6        Therefore let all the faithful pray to you

while you may be found;

surely the rising of the mighty waters

will not reach them.

7        You are my hiding place;

you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance. 

8        I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

9        Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding

but must be controlled by bit and bridle

or they will not come to you.

10      Many are the woes of the wicked,

but the Lord’s unfailing love

surrounds the one who trusts in him. 

11      Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart! (Psalm 32, NIV)

 

REFLECTIONS:

Forgiveness is, simply, the most powerful thing in the world.

 

Most people never realize that, and that's a pity. In fact, there are many cultures in which forgiveness is seen as a sign of weakness, and "compassion" is regarded as a sort of limp-wristed, wishy-washy thing. Many individuals live their whole lives by that rule. They don't want to offer forgiveness and compassion to other people, and they certainly don't want to admit that they need it themselves.

 

But when you've been forgiven, your life will change in a way that nothing else will achieve. A sense of freedom, of a new start, of fresh possibilities, of the dark and gloomy clouds rolling away and the sun coming out and bathing the whole landscape with glorious, pure light. It's as though you've been trying to listen to some great music, but the sound system is messed up and the speakers aren't working properly, and the whole thing is crackling and popping and screeching—and then, suddenly, somebody fixes it, and the room is filled with a glorious sound. You'd forgotten it could be like that.

 

Lent is a great time to do the spring cleaning, to go looking into the dark corners of the heart and mind and life, to see where the dust has been getting in, where spiders have left cobwebs, where items that should have been washed and cleaned and put away properly are lying around under the furniture. You may need some help with this, and that's what pastors and Spirit-led companions and spiritual directors are there for. But, in particular, you need the encouragement of Scriptures like Psalm 32, reminding you that it's worthwhile, that whatever grubby corners you come across can be cleaned up and made into places of beauty. (A few other Scriptures include: Psalm 51; Proverbs 28:13; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9-2:2.) Refusing to confess sin really does cramp your style—spiritually, psychologically, and perhaps physically too (verses 3-4).

 

But there's more. Once the room is swept and cleaned, we find it might be time to rearrange the furniture and use the room for new purposes. When God forgives, he does so not in order to bring us back from being "in the red" merely to having a "zero" balance. He does so in order to guide us in to new tasks and callings he's had in mind all along, but for which we weren't ready. (Think of Jesus telling the woman caught in adultery: "Go and sin no more.")

 

Lent is all about confession, forgiveness, and the living out of a new calling. All work for God's kingdom—not only in the well-known "ministries" of the church but all kinds of vocations—flow directly from the forgiving and healing love of God. Without that, we would just be arrogant, imagining that we can sign up to work for God's kingdom in our own power and goodness. But, likewise, all forgiveness flows directly into serving God, his people, and his world.

 

 

POINT OF ACTION:

So often we think of "confessing" as a rather dreary, embarrassing thing, forgetting what a joy it is to know we are "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven."

 

This Lent, is there something that you really need to put behind you once and for all?

 

 

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I can give testimony to the life-changing power of forgiveness. When I was younger I was burdened and even enslaved to guilt because of my lack of understanding concerning God's forgiving grace. When I would commit some sort of sin, I would feel so ashamed. I felt as if God was deeply disappointed in me. Rather than running to him, crying out for forgiveness, I would try to cover myself with "fig leaves" and "hide" from God. At some point, either when the burden became so great or my longing for healing became so overwhelming, I would crack and pour out my heart to God. Always, always, always, he would immediately free me from my burden and set my heart at peace. I'm not sure why I struggled so mightily for so long with guilt. I think a lot of it had to do with having a distorted view of God. While I said I believe that God loves us unconditionally, I struggled to actively live that out. I lived as if God expected perfection. And, when I wasn't perfect, I would feel that he was disappointed and even angry with me. Thankfully, over time God began to transform my understanding of who he is. He began to enlighten my eyes to various Scriptures regarding his gracious character and his merciful treatment of his sinful children (Psalm 103 comes to mind). And he began to help me embrace the full reality of what Christ had done through his life, death, and resurrection. Now, while I still sometimes struggle with guilt, I much more frequently confess my sin and embrace the freedom of God's forgiveness. By God's grace, I can now live in the reality that all my sin has been paid for by Christ. Because of his atoning death and his defeat of the grave, I can now live free from the burden of guilt. Thank God for his kindness and grace!