Psalm 32: Day 7

Psalm 32: Day 7 of our 10-day devotional journey through the Psalms, you'll gain fresh insights and spiritual strength each morning.  This series encourages you to offer your shortcomings to God, trusting in His ability to turn them into sources of strength and glory. Whether you're a morning go-getter or a lover of the snooze button, these reflections aim to imbue your day with peace and purpose found in His Word. Join us for an enriching experience that promises to renew your spirit and ignite your faith.

Send me a text message

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Julie (00:19):
Kia ora and welcome to Whispers of Grace, a place for
women to be encouraged by God'sholy word.
I'm your host, julie Colbeth,and I am overjoyed to dig into
the Bible with you today.
Growing up, I loved to buildforts, sometimes inside with

(00:41):
furniture and blankets or undermy bed, sometimes inside with
furniture and blankets or undermy bed, but most often in the
woods.
My brother and I loved to makelittle shelters with sticks and

(01:08):
build fires and just settle intothe woods for the day, sitting
there surrounded by birdsong andcovered by the journey of
transgression, forgiveness andrestoration, and praises God for
being his hiding place.
True to the heart of the Psalms, david honestly expresses his

(01:29):
misery and lifelessness underthe hand of God while he was in
his sin.
But after his confession andGod's forgiveness, david is
liberated back into his joyfulrelationship with the Lord.
God is recognized as his hidingplace once more, the place
where he runs to be safe andfind deliverance, peace and joy.

(01:54):
Let's read verse 1 and 2 ofPsalm 32.
Blessed is he whosetransgression is forgiven, whose
sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom theLord does not impute iniquity
and in whose spirit there is nodeceit.

(02:14):
This psalm is for all of us whohave transgressed.
A transgression is to willfullyand intentionally sin.
You knew that it was wrong, butyou did it anyway.
A transgression is to willfullyand intentionally sin.
You knew that it was wrong, butyou did it anyway.
Right here, at the beginning ofthis psalm, we're encouraged
not to let deceit take hold ofour spirit.
It is only through confessingour deepest, darkest sins that

(02:41):
we can enjoy an honestrelationship with God and
experience his forgiveness.
Spurgeon put it like thisBlessedness is not in this case
ascribed to the man who has beena diligent lawkeeper for then
it would never come to us butrather to a lawbreaker who, by

(03:02):
grace to a lawbreaker, who bygrace most rich and free, has
been forgiven.
Self-righteous Pharisees haveno portion in this blessedness.
Over the returning prodigal theword of welcome is here
pronounced and the music anddancing begin he goes on to say
in a little bit.
He who is pardoned has in everycase been taught to deal

(03:26):
honestly with himself, his sinand his God.
Forgiveness is no sham, and thepeace which it brings is not
caused by playing tricks withconscience.
Self-deception and hypocrisybring no blessedness.
Self-deception and hypocrisybring no blessedness.
They may drug the soul intohell with pleasant dreams, but

(03:54):
into the heaven of true peace.
They cannot conduct theirvictim Free from guilt, free
from guile.
Those who are justified fromfault are sanctified from
falsehood.
A liar is not a forgiven soul.
Spurgeon points out that wemust come to God as we are
Honest about all the deep, dark,hidden places in us is the only

(04:18):
way that we can be free fromour guilt and experience true
forgiveness.
And this is where David beginsthis psalm.
Now we're going to move intoDavid's personal confession in
verses three through five.
When I kept silent, my bonesgrew old through my groaning all

(04:38):
the day long.
For day and night, your handwas heavy upon me.
My vitality was turned into thedrought of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to youand my iniquity I have not
hidden.
I said I will confess mytransgressions to the Lord and

(04:59):
you forgave the iniquity of mysin, selah.
When we try to hide from God thedarkest parts of ourselves and
continue to walk in the sin wehave surrounded ourselves in, we
are miserable and lonely.
Only when we confess our sinsand fling ourselves upon the

(05:20):
grace and mercy of God can wefind freedom and life.
David continues to give anapplication for all the things
that he's learned through thissin.
In verse six through seven hesays for this cause, because of
this forgiveness, everyone whois godly shall pray to you.

(05:41):
In a time when you may be found, surely, in a flood of great
waters, they shall not come nearyou.
You are my hiding place.
You shall preserve me fromtrouble.
You shall surround me withsongs of deliverance.
Selah, true repentance causesothers to look to God as well.

(06:06):
David calls others to pray tothe Lord and call upon his name
while he may be found.
He says that even in a rushingtide of great waters, you can't
be touched.
When you are found in thesafety of prayer, in fact,
instead of a torrent ofdangerous waters, you'll be
surrounded with songs, sweetlysung, of deliverance.

(06:33):
The next two verses switch toGod's voice, spoken in response
to the prayer of this forgivenone.
God says I will instruct youand teach you in the way that
you should go.
I will guide you with my eye.
Do not be like the horse orlike the mule, which have no
understanding, which must beharnessed with bit and bridle,

(06:56):
else they will not come near you.
God now gives some direction tothe repentant sinner.
He says to listen closely forinstruction from the Lord and to
heed it.
A good servant doesn't need tobe told what to do.
They watch their master veryclosely and pick up the subtlest

(07:18):
of signals for changes.
God wants willing hearts thatare watching for his guidance
and don't need a shout or acatastrophe to move us along.
He desires deep fellowship thatbirths a loving and intimate

(07:44):
oneness with the Lord, not anarrogant, self-sufficient heart
that petitions the Lord simplyas an afterthought.
David brings this psalm of joyto an ending with these words
Many sorrows shall be to thewicked, but he who trusts in the
Lord, mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoiceyou righteous, and shout for
joy, all you upright in heart.
I love what Spurgeon wroteabout this verse.

(08:05):
Faith in God is the greatcharmer of life's cares, and he
who possesses it dwells in anatmosphere of grace, surrounded
with the bodyguard of mercies.
May it be given to us of theLord, at all times, to believe
in the mercy of God, even whenwe cannot see traces of its

(08:28):
working.
For to the believer, believermercy is as all surrounding, as
omniscience, and every thoughtand act of God is perfumed with
it.
The wicked have a hive of waspsaround them many sorrows, but
we have a swarm of bees storinghoney for us.
We can choose gladness andintimacy through honest

(08:55):
confession.
As we step into a new day,let's remember God is our fort
in the woods.
He is our hiding place.
Thank you.