This is an assignment for my Christian Counseling class. It is a reflection on Psalm 32. The first part is personal reflection and the second part is how I would use it in counseling someone else. Just thought I would share
I
am the righteousness of Christ. God has predestined me, called me, saved me,
and given me a purpose in life. He has me going along a path in my life and he
has blessed me beyond measure. I actually have his Spirit and presence dwelling
right inside of me, and he works in and through me in mighty ways. God is
incredibly good.
Yet,
more often than I like to admit, it seems that a gap appears between all these
truths and my own experience. One of my core beliefs is that we should be going
somewhere in our Christian walk. We should be headed somewhere and be getting
farther along and growing as time goes on. Many times I see people in our
Sunday morning assemblies who, week after week, come to the Lord broken, in
need of prayer, confessing sin, and weeping at the altar. Then the next week
they are right back there doing the same thing. This happens for weeks on end.
I believe we should be going somewhere. Christ fixes us and doesn’t leave us
broken when we come to him, he works when we pray, he forgives our sin when we
confess it, and he wipes our tears when we weep. I do not want to be one of
these people who seems to be stuck in a cycle. I want to move forward. Yet
sometimes I think I am farther along than I am and kid myself into thinking I
cannot and do not mess up.
A
year or so ago, everyone I met called me a man of peace. I had the peace of God
so alive in my heart that I could not be shaken. I remember they found a mass
on my dad’s pancreas, but I was not shaken. I trusted God, and he took care of
it. People who met me would always comment on it, even nonbelievers. They could
not understand how I did not get bothered or upset by anything; the only thing
they could come up with is that I smoked a lot of marijuana, but I would simply
tell them the Prince of Peace dwelt inside of me. Lately I have been stressed,
tired, and easily frustrated. I have sinned against the Lord through my own
rebellion and going my own way. I have tried to do things on my own and stepped
out of partnership with him. I have felt weary and without strength. Yet when I
finally came to him, really and truly I found that rest. I found the blessing,
relief, and joy. Blessed be our God.
I
do not believe I am the only one who has felt this way. Many times leaders,
church volunteers, worship leaders, teachers, pastors, preachers, professors,
and many other people feel like they have gotten somewhere and to have sinned
or fallen is unthinkable at their current point. It would be healthy to look at
sin not as going backwards, but as simply veering off track. I do not agree
with the assumption of many that, because we are human, we will sin multiple times
everyday; Christ has paid for our freedom and the Spirit empowers us. It is
also foolish to think, as some do, that we will never sin because we do. As the
first part of Psalm 32 say, we are blessed when we are forgiven and when the
Lord has removed our transgressions.
Many
times we get stuck in verse 3 and 4. We live under the weight of sin. We groan
because we feel tired and frustrated and there is no relief. We even feel like
the Lord is against us sometimes and start to question our calling and our
standing before him. Yet we keep silent about our sin because we think we are
beyond that. We think we have come to a point of sinlessness and falling would
be inconceivable.
The
good news is relief is available. Instead of remaining silent, as in verse 3,
we should acknowledge our sin to God as in verse 5. We should lay our hearts
open before the throne of God and hide nothing from him. He will forgive our
sins when we come to him and confess our sins before him.
If
we truly desire to be Godly, we have to come before him often in prayer is what
verses 6 and 7 talk about. Our weariness and frustration comes if we do not do
this because the storms of life come all the time. Things come at us and stress
from work, school, bills, relationships, and other commitments can build up and
make it seem like there is no getting out. Yet it seems we have a refuge and a
hiding place always available and it is Him who sits on the throne. He will
deliver us in no quiet or feeble manner!
Verses
8 and 9 say how he is to lead our lives. The will keep his eye and counsel on
us as we follow his leading, but he will not if we go our own way. He will not
force us to go his way, yet his presence, counsel, and peace lifts when we try
to do things in our own strength and might. We must stay with him. Verses 10
and 11 remind us that there is sorrow in the lives of the wicked but we have
joy when we walk with the lord. So when someone is under that weight and
weakness, we could take them through this Psalm as I just have and remind them
to be open before God and let him guide our path. Joy and relief will come!
