Psalm 32 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 32 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Verse 2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Verse 3While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
Verse 4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Verse 5Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Verse 6Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
Verse 7You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
Verse 8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Verse 9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
Verse 10Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Verse 11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Devotion
If someone has a blockage in the body and it is not removed, that person will get very sick and may die. The Psalmist talked about a blockage in his or her relationship with God. Like a stubborn mule, no repentance or confession was made, but that blocked the relationship with the Lord and even made the body sick.
Healing comes with confession and honesty before God and honesty with ourselves. Healing happens when the blockage is removed. Happiness accompanies forgiveness. Forgiveness, reconciliation and honesty before God and one another reminds us of the faithful and steadfast love of God. Forgiveness is not somber, but rather an occasion to shout for joy, to rejoice, to be glad in the Lord, to be at home with the Lord. As the hymn writer reminds us, "Grace will lead us home."
Prayer
Jesus, Good Shepherd, watch us when we wander and help us find the way home to you. Amen.