Transparent With God

“...my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me."
– Psalm 38:4

Psalm thirty-eight is known as a Penitential Psalm. It is a Psalm of confession. David was confessing a deep sin he committed against the Lord. We are not told what sin David committed here, yet we know He is experiencing great sorrow over it.

David was experiencing the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He was being disciplined by God. The Bible tells us the Lord disciplines those who He loves (Hebrews 12:6). God loved David very much. And now, David is being transparent with the Lord. This is always a good practice for all who call the Lord their Savior.

God already knows our thoughts. We are not hiding anything from Him. We need to be transparent with Him and take ownership of our sins. Just as David did when he said, "My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness" (Psalm 38:5). David confesses his sin, his "foolishness," directly to God and not to a man because it is God alone he sinned against (Psalm 51:4). And because it is God alone he sinned against, it is God alone who could forgive his sins.

When we confess and repent by turning from our sins, God is faithful to forgive us. He is the immutable God who casts our sins behind His back (Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19). The wage of sin is death. We will reap what we sow. Yet God has made the way for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. We can be spared through the free gift of God. That is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Maybe there is a conviction in your life that you have been suppressing. Have you been trying to bury it? The Lord will bring it to the surface because He loves you. Use David's life as an example and be transparent. Confess your sins and allow life's burdens to be lifted from your shoulders (Matthew 11:30).

“The New Testament word for repentance means changing one's mind so that one's views, values, goals, and ways are changed and one's whole life is lived differently. The change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly; mind and judgment, will and affections, behavior and life-style, motives and purposes, are all involved. Repenting means starting to live a new life.”
– J. I. Packer