There is no soundness in my flesh … no health in my bones because of my sin (Psalm 38:3).

On two occasions I have experienced in an overwhelming sense the agony of soul of which the Psalmist writes. And I am grateful. They were awful and wonderful moments.

The first time I was sixteen. As the psalmist writes in verse 4, the realization of my sinful rebellion against my Lord overwhelmed me like the waves smashing upon the beach where I sat at two a.m.

The second moment came when I was in my late 50’s. I found myself suddenly crushed by the burden of remembered sins that I knew I had never truly owned and openly confessed to my King.

Have you been there? Yes, you know that by grace through faith you have embraced Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and King. But there are still moments when a sense of your sins – be they present or past – just envelopes you in a “blue fog.”

At such moments, the pain is awful. But if we confess our sins, because of His faithful love, from which nothing can separate us, we experience anew the wonder of forgiveness and a restoration of the joy of our salvation.

Prayer:
Lord, forgive me, cleanse me, renew me, and assure me once more that I am Yours and You are mine, both now and for forever. Amen.