Psalm 25:11  
For the sake of His name
     This verse needs a little bit of thought! I have no problem in confessing that my iniquity is great and nor should you. The problem is the inference that the Lord’s honour and His name are at stake because of my sin and transgression. There could be two ways of looking at this. Firstly, the Lord is the Deliverer, the Saviour, the One who protects and cares for His people, so even though I have done wrong He had better live up to His name and save me! The second meaning suggests that if I stumble and fall and bring suffering and judgement upon myself, people will inevitable conclude that God has failed me and deserted me, and He does not live up to His name!
I don’t like either of these interpretations because they both infer that we can hold God to ransom and if He does not restore us and forgive us, He is somehow lacking! Could David be so disrespectful as to advocate any of this? I suggest that He had a far deeper understanding of the Lord than we do and enjoyed a relationship that led him to believe that even if he sinned and failed, He would be rescued and forgiven. On reflection I can say that is true, because He has done it for me. What about you? Does this not give us confidence? For when we fail it is the enemy who whispers that we cannot be delivered. Meanwhile, the Lord waits, with open arms, for us to return to Him, and He forgives, and our sins and iniquities He remembers no more. He delights in restoration for His name is glorified. Hallelujah!

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