Getting Past Hurt and Shame

Psalm 40:11-13 KJV
11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

Read verse 12 again. Have there been times in your life where you have felt this way? This portion of this psalm is talking about where you have rejected God because of the pressures of the world. This verse is a confession; it is not coming out of pride (or false humility). The psalmist has let sin get such a hold on his life that he is ashamed to be before God (…I am not able to look up). It even shows remorse for what he has done (…my heart faileth me). I believe Proverbs 28:13 is in play here. The psalmist is laying out his sins and his heart hurts because of what he has done.

Verse 11 is where the psalmist is trusting in God’s patience and mercy. Not only that, it looks as if he desires to replace his iniquities with God’s truth.

An interesting aspect to notice about verse 13 is the request for deliverance. In this we see that there is a bondage to something. Verse 12 does put forth that his iniquities have taken hold of him.

What does this all tell us? That sin is not merely seeking pleasure or indulging selfish desires, but sin is a way to put us in slavery. Sin is used to put a burden so heavy on us that we are ashamed to be seen by God. Sin is rebelling against God; it is our way of saying that we know how to do things better than the Creator. We can’t live in sin and seek God at the same time – our hearts feel the pulling of the two natures against each other. We can leave sin and seek God. Or we can keep sin and hide from God. Are we always going to take the preferred path? I doubt it, but if you given your life over to Christ you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and He will keep at you if you are living in sin. There will not be peace in your life.

This brings us back to where the psalmist was. You too can come to the throne of God and lay out your iniquities before Him and ask for His truth to lead you. His mercy is there for you. Confess and forsake those iniquities that hold you and seek His mercy. Christ paid the price for those sins. He desires your freedom for a better relationship with God. And know that God wants you more than anything else and He wants that sin out of the way so that relationship will flourish!!!