Daily Scripture: Psalm 130:(0) A song of ascents. By David:
(1) Adonai, I call to you from the depths;
2 hear my cry, Adonai!
Let your ears pay attention
to the sound of my pleading.
3 Yah, if you kept a record of sins,
who, Adonai, could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you will be feared.
5 I wait longingly for Adonai;
I put my hope in his word.
6 Everything in me waits for Adonai
more than guards on watch wait for morning,
more than guards on watch wait for morning.
7 Isra’el, put your hope in Adonai!
For grace is found with Adonai,
and with him is unlimited redemption.
8 He will redeem Isra’el
from all their wrongdoings.
Reflection Questions:
This psalmist knew the awful sense of despair that comes when we realize we’ve completely failed to be the good person we want to be. He described it as crying out to God “from the depths,” pleading for God’s mercy. But it was not a hopeless cry. The psalm repeated (for emphasis) the image of watchmen waiting in the darkness for the first gleam of morning light. That was how eagerly the psalmist waited for God’s mercy—and he trusted that God’s forgiveness was just as dependable as each day’s dawn.
- Verse 3 said, “If you kept track of sins, Lord—my Lord, who would stand a chance?” Have you ever pictured God as meticulously keeping track of all your sins? Compare Psalm 103:10, 12: “He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin….As far as east is from west—that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.” What do these poetic images tell you about how profoundly God longs to forgive you?
- Verse 7 said, “Faithful love is with the Lord…great redemption is with our God!” Have you ever received or given “partial” forgiveness (which is the best we broken humans can do at times), the sort that never lets the other person forget they blew it, and holds a small grievance in reserve? What does it mean to you that God offers “great redemption” for all of your brokenness?
Today’s Prayer:
Like the psalmist, “I hope, Lord.” At all the times when I realize that I cannot count on my own good intentions, I’m so grateful that I can count on your forgiving love. Amen.
Insights from Melanie Hill
Melanie Hill is the Guest Connections Program Director at Resurrection.
When I knew I was going to be writing the Insights for today, I started looking online to see what was out there on the topic of forgiveness. It was overwhelming, ranging from fifteen steps to forgiveness to simply “forgive and forget.” From the prolific amount written on this topic it would seem that many of us struggle with forgiveness–and I’m no different. For me, the struggle lies not so much in offering forgiveness as it does in accepting it. Now don’t get me wrong. There have been times in my life that granting forgiveness has been hard. For some wrongs I have had to do it again daily, even minute by minute, but I find I can move forward from it eventually.
Accepting forgiveness, on the other hand, is harder for me. At the core of who I am I know that my heavenly Father loves and accepts me and forgives me when I miss the mark. I can gratefully accept forgiveness from others when I have wronged them. It’s forgiving myself that comes so hard. I can be so self-critical that I stop seeing myself in any kind of authenticity, instead creating an image of myself that is unworthy of forgiveness. And all of a sudden I am not just failing, I am a failure.
This week I was given a gift from a true friend and a wonderful boss. As we sat down to check in about ministry and personal matters, she offered a true reflection of me as a person. She allowed me to see myself the way she sees me: Imperfect and flawed, but capable and thoughtful. She reminded me that although I may fail from time to time, I’m not a failure. This allowed me to forgive myself for any missteps I had taken, for any times I had dropped the ball.
The beauty of her gift is that it didn’t stop with seeing myself more accurately just in my professional life. Later that day I had to ask myself if I was seeing myself correctly as a wife, a mother, and a friend. In all these areas I had withheld forgiveness for myself, and as I allowed myself to truly accept forgiveness it was as if a huge, heavy burden had been released from my shoulders. I will always be imperfect and flawed. At times I will fail–probably more often than I want to think about. But now I know that when I refuse to accept forgiveness for myself, I not only hurt myself, I cheapen the forgiveness that has been granted to me.
Where are you not forgiving yourself? Where are you believing the lie that you are unworthy of forgiveness? God’s grace is sufficient for you and you ARE worthy of forgiveness.
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