“When I kept silent of my sin, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy on me, my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And You forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:3-5
There is no heavier burden for one to carry than guilt. When you have openly transgressed against another, the weight of it will press down upon you until it seems that your next breath is uncertain. The untruth sits upon the shoulders of a soul like the world sitting upon the shoulders of Atlas. And it is constant. You awake to first feel the reminder of the burden. And then, throughout your day, you eat, move, and operate with the constant weight bearing down. A never-ending reminder as it refuses to subside or lessen. And as you bed for the night, it seems to crush out all other pleasantries, robbing you of the peace that slumber had previously provided. The weight of sin can be oh so great upon the heart. And it is so much more a burden to a heart that has been claimed by Jesus Christ. For you see a Holy Spirit-anointed Christ-follower will be rebuked of their unconfessed transgressions until they are freely offered to the Lord in confession. A fact summed up powerfully by Charles Spurgeon in his commentary on Psalm 32, “better a world on the shoulder like Atlas...than God’s hand on the heart.”
King David sat on the throne in denial. He had claimed a woman that was not his. He had then sent her husband to his death on the front lines of battle, a cover up of sin that included yet more sin. And as he sat on his throne of lies in silence, only his heart spoke. And it spoke in screams of agony. As David sought to conceal his sins from the people around him, he alone felt the weight of the world upon him. But as he sought to conceal them from the Lord, he felt the hand of God upon his soul. Pressing and pushing down until his next breath of air seemed as thick as paste. His bones ached within him, he groaned within the days and nights. The people around him saw his discomfort, a life forcing itself to live under an unneeded and unwanted burden. His family also saw his discomfort, a life living bough-broken by a guilty conscience. And of course, God simply saw the posture of a soul hiding in its sin, a flashback to the first two sinners attempting the same by hiding in a garden. But God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David, a gracious gift from God to forcefully release David from a burden that was sure to crush him. And in that great moment of confession and repentance, David felt the 32nd Psalm breathed into life.
A heart that has called upon the amazing grace of Jesus Christ has been freed of the punishment of sin forever. The perfect work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross will atone for all sin, for all people, for all time. But after you have experienced that miracle moment of Salvation in Christ, how do you live with your sin going forward? Yes, all of your future sin has already been covered by Christ, but how do you function with it? You see, the effect of sin is destruction. It robs, it kills, it steals, it destroys. Sin in your life will continue to do its damage if not dealt with properly. And this is where the beautiful instruction of Psalm 32 wisely instructs the Christ follower in their daily walk. You see, sin must be dealt with even after that miracle moment. As sin is encountered it must be confessed and repented of directly to God…immediately. If not, that life is destined to shoulder a burden greater than Atlas until it is given unto the only hands that are capable of carrying the weight...Almighty God. You see, a heart that belongs to Christ has now been named as a holy ground, one that is to be kept free of the burden of sin. It is a heart that is called to roam free in this world enjoying the peace, joy, laughter, and goodness promised it. And this heart is claimed and kept in this condition through the regular shedding and admission of sin.
Today, if you feel the weight of the world upon you for unconfessed sin in your life, get rid of that burden immediately. Go directly to God and confess it in great honesty. And then turn from that activity in the future. It is simple, it is scriptural, and it is perfectly effective in ridding yourself of the unnecessary burdens you were never meant to carry. Walk today not with the hand of the Lord heavy upon your heart, but with great rejoicing and joy as you walk freely with Him in the honesty of confession.
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
“For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.” Psalm 38:4
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