Debilitating guilt

Psalm 51 is such a beautiful, deep and personal prayer to God. When I was a teenager, I memorized it and spoke it aloud and earnestly many times. Apart from Psalm 23, it’s still my favourite psalm.

In my teens, as I got to know myself and realize my offensive behaviour and faced my bad habits, I felt the burden of guilt the psalmist mentions in verse 8: “?let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.” The insistent begging for forgiveness in this psalm gave my heart a voice in those days. In my adult life also, I have had periods when waves of guilt washed over me, and I felt the need for God’s pure love and forgiveness to wash me of the guilt. One of my prayers about sin was: “Save me from being haunted by them.”

Verse 17 is especially comforting to me: “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” God accepts our feelings, does not despise them, but appreciates and cherishes them. This was demonstrated and proved in the life of Jesus our Saviour, who embodied the love and forgiveness in God’s heart.

Dear God, help me not to wallow in guilt, but rather to trust in your full and free forgiveness. Amen. — JH

Contributed by Debilitating guilt

Psalm 51 is such a beautiful, deep and personal prayer to God. When I was a teenager, I memorized it and spoke it aloud and earnestly many times. Apart from Psalm 23, it's still my favourite psalm. In my teens, as I got to know myself and realize my offensive behaviour and faced my bad habits, I felt the burden of guilt the psalmist mentions in verse 8: "?let the bones that you have crushed rejoice." The insistent begging for forgiveness in this psalm gave my heart a voice in those days. In my adult life also, I have had periods when waves of guilt washed over me, and I felt the need for God's pure love and forgiveness to wash me of the guilt. One of my prayers about sin was: "Save me from being haunted by them." Verse 17 is especially comforting to me: "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." God accepts our feelings, does not despise them, but appreciates and cherishes them. This was demonstrated and proved in the life of Jesus our Saviour, who embodied the love and forgiveness in God's heart.
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