The Goodness of Forgiveness

Sue Pyke | March 20, 2023

The season of Lent provides an opportunity for us to step out of normal routines and into sacred practices as we approach Easter. These practices help us prepare our hearts and become more available to God to receive his love and grace in our lives.

The practice of scripture meditation slows us down in our reading of scripture, taking us deep in God’s word as an anchor in truth. One place where we may most need to slow down, especially during Lent, is in our confession of sin. Psalm 32 describes an experience of confessing sin and receiving God’s forgiveness. This makes it a good psalm for meditation as we consider our own experience of confession and forgiveness in light of the one described here. 

For scripture meditation, read a brief passage several times slowly, reflect on what the Spirit calls to your attention, and respond in prayer, listening for what God wants to say or how he wants to use these words from scripture in your life. The following meditation on Psalm 32:1-7 has three sections. Focus on just one section each day for meditation, perhaps noting your insights in a journal. Then use the reflection that follows each section to further apply these verses throughout the week. 

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.

The beauty of these verses is in the darkness and light they contain. Here is both the depth of our sin and the goodness of God’s forgiveness. With the word iniquity included in some translations there are three different words for sin in these two short verses. This is purposeful, pointing us to God’s infinite grace. All the stuff we’re ashamed of and try to keep hidden is covered by his mercy. The combined meanings of transgression, sin, and iniquity tell our story: rebellion, violation, offense against a principle or standard, twisted out of shape, depravity, and corruption. The message going into the next verses is, don’t hold anything back, bring it all to God and you too will receive the boundless grace and mercy of his forgiveness.

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.

What do you see when you look at the cross of Christ? Throughout his life, Jesus experienced temptation but did not sin. On the cross he felt the weight of our sin, the weakness and wasting away, the groaning, the heaviness of the burden that leads to death. He experienced the ultimate separation from his loving Father, and through the cross he made a way for us to receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God. When you feel the heaviness of sin, a broken heart for wrongs you have done or hurt you have caused others, remember the cross of our resurrected Lord and confess to him. He carried the weight of your sin so he could forgive the guilt of it.

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.

This psalm invites us to experience the liberation of confessing our sin and finding God faithful to forgive. Danger and trouble lie in the way of unconfessed sin. Those who refuse to acknowledge their sin reap death and destruction (see Psalm 1:5-6). God is a refuge when we go to him for forgiveness, a safe place where we’re protected from trouble. In this place of peace and trust we grow in wisdom and receive God’s blessing, coming full circle to the goodness of God’s forgiveness described in the opening lines of this psalm. This rhythm of confession and forgiveness repeats over and over in the Christian life as we grow in both awareness of our sin and deeper understanding of God’s limitless grace.