When I refused to confess my sin,
    my body wasted away,
    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.            
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
    and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. (Psalm 32:3-5) 

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin. 
For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me. 
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge. (Psalm 51:1-4)

Have you ever tried to hide your sin from God? King David did! After committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered in cold blood, he tried to go on with God and life as if nothing had changed and everything was fine. Thankfully, day and night, the Lord troubled David’s conscience. Here is how he described what he felt: “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, 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.” (verse 3-4).

Providentially, David’s confession did not end there. In Psalm 51 (a companion to Psalm 32) he wrote: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge” (verses 1-4). In response to David’s honest confession, the Lord forgave him and removed his guilt from him (32:5). As he confessed his sin to God, God gave him the gifts of mercy and forgiveness—things he didn't deserve and couldn't earn but desperately needed. 

Like David, we sin. And like him, there are times when we try to hide our sins from God and others. But hopefully, when we sin, we have learned to confess our sins quickly to the Lord, who is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). As God's mercy and forgiveness pour over us, along with David, we can declare, “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” (Psalm 32:1-2).

Mercifully, the Lord does not turn away from broken and contrite hearts (Psalm 51:17) nor condemn those who belong to Jesus Christ! With this good news in mind, we pray Sunday’s collect. “O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.”

The Lord be with you,

Joe