“All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.”
— Psalm 38:9
That passage is from the 38th Psalm of David in which he doesn’t ask God not to punish him but not to punish him while He, God, was angry. This is considered a penitential Psalm because David expresses sorrow for sin.
In verses 1–8, David states his sin led to his health dilemmas and separated him from God and others. David’s Spirit was so heavy that he felt remorse and sorrow, confessing his sin and asking for forgiveness.
Do your sins of yesterday weigh on your heart? How heavy is your spirit? Is your heart filled with gladness and thanksgiving, or do you remember that little gossip you participated in yesterday? What about those unnecessary little white lies you told? How does one overcome such feelings of guilt?
Sorrowing for sin brings hope. God alone is the trustworthy source of healing and protection for those who confess their sins to Him.
A fan of contemporary Christian music, I am not. However, I am fond of Lauren Daigle’s “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Here are excerpts from the lyrics:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace. O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness, you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free. His word shall not fail you, He promised. Believe Him, and all will be well, then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell.”
What a touching and beautiful way to share the mercy and grace of our Savior!
There are so many hymns that we can sing to lift our spirits and remove us from the woes of this world. One that jumps right out at me is “How Great Thou Art:”
”O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder. Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. How great Thou art, how great Thou art.”
David recognized God’s creation and His word, revealing His greatness. Read Isaiah 61 beginning with verse 1. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” Isaiah recognized he was not fully prepared to serve as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. In chapter 6:1-5, Isaiah reveals that holiness means morally perfect, pure, and set apart from all sin.
One of the seraphs (special angels) touched Isaiah’s lips with a live coal and said in Isaiah 6:7, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah continues in verse 8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
However, God warned Isaiah that the people would listen but not learn from his message because their hearts had become so cold and calloused beyond repentance. Perhaps God is looking down at His people right now with the same understanding: that we have become so corrupt in spirit that we are unrecognizable as His children.
Isaiah proclaims the Lord’s favor in Isaiah 61:3: “Provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
Throughout the chapter, Isaiah shares the word of God he receives, which amounts to many blessings and includes the spirit of heaviness being exchanged for a garment of praise. The spirit of heaviness can be characterized by any intense negative feeling that may challenge our faith. It may result from our habitual sins like addiction, lying, gossip, or losing a job or a loved one. To feel heavy is to be burdened, and to be burdened is not to carry the light and easy yoke of Jesus.
Remember Matthew 11:30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Nurture God’s spirit within you.
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