Psalm 51:8

Psalm 51:8

Let me hear joy and gladness

We all know that sin drives a wedge between us and the Lord. A rebellious act is just the beginning! The guilt that follows, the sense of failure, the condemnation and thoughts of worthlessness; all of these things automatically upload themselves into our heads. This is Satan’s strategy of course and it is very hard to avoid the consequences of sinfulness. Ultimately, we become sullen, angry with ourselves and with others. All joy is taken away and we descend into a dark place. Sometimes it takes days to recover and there are many people who descend into habitual sin accompanied by continuous dark despair and depression. 

David understood the full extent of his transgressions and he now pleads to hear joy and gladness once more. He got a response from Nathan the prophet, but it was not a comforting pat on the back! “David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.”” 2 Samuel 12:13-14. 

And it was not just the emotional, mental and spiritual effects of sin that troubled David, he felt it also in his bones! His whole body, even his bones, ached with the consequences of his behaviour and his fall from grace. He must have wondered many times, why he allowed all of this to happen in the first place. Don’t we all? 

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