Thought for January 15th. “FOR WHEN I KEPT SILENT”

Psalm 32 today is an intimate exchange of words between David and God; it is one of the most personal of all the Psalms – just 11 verses, but so powerful!  The first 7 are by David and the remainder; God’s response. How meaningful! Remember Paul’s comment on God’s words, , “They were written down for our instruction, on who the end of the ages has come,” [1 Cor. 10 v.11]  We are surely living in the final end of the ages”! The first verse declares, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”  David recognises that “the LORD counts no iniquity”, (in the one) in whose spirit is no deceit.” [v.2] His next words are, “For when I kept silent … day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up …” [v.3,4]  The world is full of deceit and efforts to avoid any penalty for wrong-doing; does this influence us?  Any sense of “guilt” is pushed out of sight, out of mind.  But it is David who sets us the example, he says to God, “I acknowledged my sin to you… you forgave … my sin … you preserve me from trouble… you surround me with shouts of deliverance”[v. 5,7] Then comes God’s answer, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding … or it will not stay near you.” [v.8,9]  The Bible, so wonderfully preserved and so readily available to us provides us with Divine instruction, we have only ourselves to blame if we are “without understanding”.  May we all fully sense that  “steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD” and so “Be glad … rejoice … and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! [v.10,11]     It is only when we keep “silent” that our hearts fail in uprightness.