Lent 4
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me ...
-- Psalm 32:4
There is a weight to sin that burdens us. It feels like the hand of God pressing down on our soul trying to squeeze out the impurity that has contaminated us. Perhaps we would be better off if we considered guilt not as a punishment for having done wrong but as the probing hands of a skilled surgeon trying to cleanse us of a cancer that is eating away at us. The psalmist declares, "Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."
The two dimensions of sin are social and personal. The word "iniquity" is derived from "inequity" meaning unequal. The social dimension of sin is that we make ourselves unequal to others. The personal dimension is that our inner spirit becomes one of deceit (v. 2). The spirit of alienation eats away at the vitality of our life (v. 4). Yet, when we stop trying to deceive ourselves and acknowledge our sin before God, we receive forgiveness (v. 5). God becomes our refuge against the chaos that threatens to engulf us. "At a time of distress, in the rush of mighty waters, shall not reach them" (v. 6). Our prayer is that we might rise above that protective pride and stubbornness that prevents us from being truly open to God's blessing: "Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with a bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you" (v. 9).
The state of blessedness or true joy is discovered in fully trusting God even with our sins and transgressions. By refusing to acknowledge our sins, we diminish God because we declare that our sins are more powerful than God's steadfast love (v. 10). Each time we discover the opposite to be true, we are released from our alienation from God and neighbor, and we are healed within ourselves. Then we can be glad, rejoice, and shout for joy (v. 11).
-- Psalm 32:4
There is a weight to sin that burdens us. It feels like the hand of God pressing down on our soul trying to squeeze out the impurity that has contaminated us. Perhaps we would be better off if we considered guilt not as a punishment for having done wrong but as the probing hands of a skilled surgeon trying to cleanse us of a cancer that is eating away at us. The psalmist declares, "Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."
The two dimensions of sin are social and personal. The word "iniquity" is derived from "inequity" meaning unequal. The social dimension of sin is that we make ourselves unequal to others. The personal dimension is that our inner spirit becomes one of deceit (v. 2). The spirit of alienation eats away at the vitality of our life (v. 4). Yet, when we stop trying to deceive ourselves and acknowledge our sin before God, we receive forgiveness (v. 5). God becomes our refuge against the chaos that threatens to engulf us. "At a time of distress, in the rush of mighty waters, shall not reach them" (v. 6). Our prayer is that we might rise above that protective pride and stubbornness that prevents us from being truly open to God's blessing: "Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with a bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you" (v. 9).
The state of blessedness or true joy is discovered in fully trusting God even with our sins and transgressions. By refusing to acknowledge our sins, we diminish God because we declare that our sins are more powerful than God's steadfast love (v. 10). Each time we discover the opposite to be true, we are released from our alienation from God and neighbor, and we are healed within ourselves. Then we can be glad, rejoice, and shout for joy (v. 11).
