Psalm 38:1-8
A psalm of David. A petition.

LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Sin is a burden for the true believer. The guilt weighs heavy on the body and soul. David, the great warrior, likens it to being pierced with an arrow and having the wound fester. Certainly, sickness is not always the result of sin. But sin can impact one’s health. David felt “feeble and utterly crushed” due to his sin.

In today’s Christian culture this is not a popular truth. The talk that sells books goes like this: “We are all sinners. Thank God for His compassion. We are far from perfect. Thank God for His grace. You will sin but the loving God will not hold you accountable.” This contains bits of truth. God is compassionate, gracious, and loving…and…He does hold us accountable for our sin.

I am a sinner saved by grace and I thank God for His continual forgiveness but I cannot use that truth as an excuse to sin. As a believer I must be just as concerned about sin on the front end as I am thankful for forgiveness on the back end. Reread today’s passage (the psalm continues tomorrow with the same theme). David said, “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.”

Father, please help me be as mindful of following hard after You before I sin as I am thankful for Your grace and forgiveness when I acknowledge my sin. In Jesus’ name. Amen.