You can find more about my weekly Bible readings HERE.
This week I am focusing on Psalm 32 (Monday, July 20 – Sunday July 26)

1. If all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then how is THIS scripture teaching me? rebuking me? correcting me? training me?

Teach: explaining the way things are, what is true about God, me, life, reality, sin, God’s will, the world, etc!
Rebuke: point out where I am falling short, messing up, going against God’s will, sinning!
Correct: challenge and inspire to change, show me what I should do, what steps I should take!
Train: encourage and support me with strength/wisdom to follow through, to make changes, to obey!

I have not heard what the Lord is saying to me in this Psalm if I cannot answer these questions: how is the Lord teaching me? rebuking me? correcting me? training me?

2. Psalm 32. Of David. A maskil (a literary or musical term)

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!

3. Life is like a tractor pull. The longer we live, the greater the weight of sin grows. In so many subtle and sinister ways, we are guilty of pursuing and pleasing SELF rather than God and others. We may not think that we are that bad, but if we could see ourselves as God sees us, and experience ourselves as others do, we would be shocked. The point of this reflection is not to make us feel like crap, but to help us honestly face and address the reality of our heart and lives. We cannot take a step, move an inch – like a tractor in a tractor pull – without increasing the weight of our guilt. ** For those who don’t know, in a tractor pull as the tractor moves forward, the weights on the sled also move forward, making it heavier and harder to pull, until it can’t go anymore. **

4. Yesterday news broke how the infamous adultery dating website ‘Ashley Madison’ (Life is short. Have an affair.) experienced a hack, and all the 35+ million members data was taken, and is being threatened with disclosure. Suddenly, there are many many people who were secretly committing adultery now facing possible exposure. I wonder how many of them will take the chance that their info will not be leaked, and will continue to hide their secret from their spouse. Or will they ‘acknowledge their sin’ and no longer ‘cover up their iniquity’?

5. In whose spirit is no deceit. Would you say that you are honest about your sinful or selfish nature? Does the burden of your weakness and failure bother you? Are you hiding a secret from others, one that if revealed would be very shameful to admit? Are you like many of us, who see ourselves as pretty good people in comparison to others? “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)

6. Another story in the news. Last week we learned that Bill Cosby, who has adamantly insisted he did not take advantage of women sexually using drugs, admitted in a private deposition to using drugs with women. He claimed to be without sin (and still maintains his innocence), but the facts are showing otherwise. I am not judging him here, just observing the painful lesson that the truth eventually comes out… better to get it out by confession than to have it come out by exposure.

7. I sense the Lord gently probing my heart… is there anything that I am burying, denying, covering up, ignoring, that is sapping me of my strength and vitality? It is probably good to spend a bit of time on this, not just a surface check but digging deeper? I spent some time at the Falby Court traffic circle garden. There are lots of beautiful flowers, but also many weeds sucking the moisture away from the flowers. I could just bury them, but they would not go away. I need to get deep into the soil, to get to the roots. The roots of greed, lust, pride, selfishness. We usually don’t name the roots those things (‘I’m not greedy, just being ‘wise’ with my money; those second looks are harmless, I would never act out on them; it’s not selfish to think of yourself once in  while’). But what if we saw them as God sees them?

8. What strikes me is how quick God is to forgive. No time needed to prove his confession, no probation time to demonstrate his sincerity. And you forgave the guilt of my sin. That easy. Even before his confession is complete (I said, ‘I will confess…’), God forgives. This reminds me of how quickly the father embraces the prodigal son when he finally comes home… he doesn’t even get the chance to make his speech (Luke 15:20).

9. God is not an angry judge, He is eager and willing to forgive and help us. He is a hiding place, a safe place. He wants to teach us the better way, to watch over us with His loving eye. He is frustrated how stubborn and resistant we are… like the horse or the mule. Don’t hide from God, seek Him, rejoice in Him, trust Him. He will welcome, forgive and restore… just like that.

10. If this Psalm shows us how eager God is to forgive us, Jesus is living proof of how far God will go to forgive us. The cross of Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s eager love and mercy. He willingly endures the curse for us, so that we can be released from it. While on the cross, He looks at those whose sin put Him there, and says with pain and passion, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

11. It is not a bad thing to admit that we have flaws and faults, it is a good thing. First of all, it puts us into the same place as everyone else. Secondly, it keeps us humble, not judging others when we have our own struggles. Third, it shows us how serious our situation is, and puts us in a place to seek God’s help. Only the sick seek the doctor for a cure, those who think they’re healthy don’t go… only to discover the sickness much later. I sense the Lord pressing into my heart and mind that I am much worse than I think I am, but that He still loves me and wants to restore and help me. We need to face the truth, as painful as it is, if we’re going to experience God’s cure.