WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: This is a psalm about forgiveness – its association with King David and his sin with Bathsheba encourages us to receive it as an assurance of God’s forgiveness as we confess our own wrongdoing. Complete forgiveness Paul cites this psalm in Romans 4:6–8 to show us that God’s forgiveness is complete – he does not hold a charge sheet against us but deletes our sins from any record. This is a beautiful study of the restoration of relationship between us and God. The psalm shows a clear structure: the blessing (vs 1,2) presupposes the reality of confession of sin by us (vs 3,4) and forgiveness of sin by the Lord (v 5). The experience of forgiveness in our own lives then leads us into the wider encouragement of all believers to find refuge in the Lord (vs 6,7). Songs of deliverance When we encounter the Lord he surrounds us with ‘songs of deliverance’. If only we would live our Christian lives according to this pattern of trust and surrender instead of putting our trust in worldly achievements or possessions! The psalmist also gives advice to those who find themselves in the same situation as he had been in – being disciplined by the Lord (v 9). Here we see that resistance brings only grief, whereas the one who trusts in the Lord and confesses sin will experience God’s kindness (v 10). Respond: Confess to the Lord anything he brings to mind and receive his forgiveness – enjoy the wonder of that forgiveness. As Charles Wesley put it: ‘My chains fell off, / My heart was free, / I rose, went forth and followed thee!’ http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-09-02