Key Verse: “Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be revered.” (Psalm 130:3-4 CSB)
We have all had moments when we have blown it. A sinful thought pattern, a hurtful word, a selfish attitude, or another act of rebellion against God. It is not so much a question of whether you will sin and fall, but what you choose to do when it happens. How will you respond?
For the Psalmist who wrote these words, he found himself in a place of desperately needing God’s mercy. We don’t know the details, but evidently he had come face to face with his sin against God. How did he respond in that moment? He began by crying out to God. “Out of the depths I call to you, Lord!” he said. “Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help” (v.1-2). Though he had sinned against God, the Psalmist took the first step in redemption by turning back to God and crying out to Him.
Secondly, he acknowledged exactly where he stood in the moment. “Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities, who could stand?” (v.3), he asked. The answer is no one. There was no room for hiding or blame shifting or making excuses. All of us are sinners. He knew that God saw it all, and that he was a sinner desperately in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.
Recognizing where he stood, the Psalmist then put His trust in the abundant grace that is available from God as we humbly turn to Him. “But with you there is forgiveness” (v.4), he said. What an amazing statement on which to meditate! No matter how far we may have strayed, no matter how deep the pit we may have dug, there is always enough of God’s grace for those who ask.
When the Israelites corporately confessed their sins against God in the days of Nehemiah, part of their confession included acknowledging that God is, “a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love” (Nehemiah 9:17b).
This is the good news that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. Because Jesus had gone to the Cross and dealt with our sins for us, we no longer need to bear the weight and burden of them. To be in Christ means to rest in the forgiveness, grace, mercy, love and compassion of God toward us because of all that Jesus accomplished.
This is exactly how the Psalmist concluded his song to the Lord. “I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word” (v.5), he sang. Though he had failed God and had no ground on which to stand, he turned to the Lord for mercy and grace, and put his confidence in the forgiveness and faithful love of God.
Have you blown it with God in some way? If so, “put your hope in the Lord” (v.7). Cry out to Him in faith. Humbly admit where you have failed. Receive the forgiveness that is yours in Jesus Christ. Remember that “there is faithful love with the Lord and with him is redemption in abundance” (v.7).
Prayer: God, though I often fail you, you are always faithful to me. I thank you that with Jesus there is forgiveness. I wait for you today, Lord. I put my hope in your word, and trust in your faithful love toward me. With you, there is redemption in abundance. I turn to you again today, as I trust in all that you have done for me. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
