Honest With God: Finding Healing and Wholeness Through the PsalmsНамуна

The weight of my financial secrets stole something precious from what should have been a moment of pure celebration.

I should have been excited about getting married, preparing for a lifetime with the person I loved more than any other. A couple we respected and admired was making us dinner every other week, helping us to start a new life together on a firm foundation.

Yet, the night we came together to talk about finances felt like glitter and confetti, more like a dark, oppressive fog.

Joy, I discovered, cannot coexist with secrets. It cannot flourish in the shadows of deception or thrive in the soil of shame. Joy requires the oxygen of honesty, the sunlight of authenticity. Although it was difficult to share my actual financial situation with my wife, the days that followed my confession led to a sense of freedom and acceptance that I hadn’t experienced in any other romantic relationship.

Consider how King David made the connection between confession and joy. After his devastating moral failure with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David didn't just ask God for forgiveness – he asked for something more: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12 NIV)

David had experienced God's salvation before. He knew what it felt like to be delivered from enemies, protected in battle, and blessed beyond measure. But David’s sin had stolen the joy of that salvation, leaving him with the facts of God's goodness but not the feeling of it.

Joy, David understood, isn't just happiness about circumstances. It's the deep, settled sense that you are loved, accepted, and secure in God's grace regardless of what you've done or what you're facing. It's what David describes in Psalm 30: "Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5 NIV)

The night of weeping isn't eternal. The season of shame eventually ends. Morning – with its fresh mercies, new possibilities, and restored joy – always comes for those who belong to God.

Eventually, I found the courage to face my financial chaos, trusting that God's calling comes with God's provision. The conversation with my parents about my debt was difficult; the numbers were embarrassing, but something beautiful happened: joy began to return. Not because my circumstances changed overnight, but because I stopped carrying the burden alone.

After we got married, my wife and I went on to pay off all my credit cards and a total of $25,000 in debt in under two years.

What secret is stealing your joy today? What shame is casting shadows over what should be bright seasons? The God who restores joy is waiting for your honesty, ready to trade your shame for His acceptance. That’s good news I want you to hear today.

As we move into week 3 of this plan, I want to show you what the most common Psalms include—and it may surprise you!