Week 11: Psalm 86
Psalm 86
I was in quite the precarious situation the early part of 2023. I was having to face the consequences of some poor decisions made in sin.
No matter how long we've been in the church, how long we've been saved, or how righteous we think we are, at the end of the day, we are all like Paul at times. It's so easy for us to do what we know we should not do (Romans 7:19). And this is what we call our sin nature.
This is what I was faced with early this year: my sin and my God.
This is also what the psalmist David faced when He wrote Psalm 86.
As we continue to walk through the bitter chill of winter, I reflect on how sobering and cold acknowledging our faults, flaws, and sin can be. Isn't it uncomfortable? It can be a dark place, and the enemy can play on our shortcomings.
In fact, it is in this place where the enemy builds the biggest wedge between us and God. He builds it using shame, lies, and condemnation. He weighs us down with the disgrace of our shortcomings and mocks us with the reminder of our failure as we try and attempt to carry our sin on our own. Each day, the weight becomes more and more unbearable and our pursuit of righteousness becomes slower and slower. For the enemy, the end game is that we succumb to the weight of our sin and give up on God.
But isn't the enemy's technique interesting? He knows that the only way he can win is by manipulating us to fixate on our sin instead of looking to the One who is full of mercy and forgiveness. We were never intended to carry the weight of our sin. It is too heavy. Christ alone has the power to pay for what we could never afford.
As I was navigating the complications and consequences of my sin, all I could do to focus my weary heart and anxious mind was remind myself of the goodness of God, which is similar to what David is doing in Psalm 86.
My chapter header says, “Prayer for mercy with meditation on the excellences of the Lord.”
In our winter seasons of wrestling with the weight of our fallen world and sin nature, it is imperative that we have a grounded and Biblical view of both our sin and our God. Without the right perception, we will fall right into the hands of our enemy.
Do we exalt our sin over the mercies of God?
Do we grieve the crumbling of our self-righteousness over humbly accepting the righteousness of God?
Do we truly grasp just how compassionate and gracious God is?
I had to readjust my heart and perception of God as I dealt with my sin. It had become distorted with the lies of the enemy.
I truly love how the Psalmist is both worshiping God for who He is while also crying out to God for what he needs. David is simultaneously rehearsing the grace of God while also admitting his need for God's grace. David is crying out to the one who is “Ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon Him” (vs. 5).
I don't know if this is your season or not, but rest assured there will come a time for all of us when we will fail our God and the people He has placed in our lives because of sin. Sin is not something that is often talked about within the walls of the church anymore, because we want a Gospel that feels good and promises blessings. But the truth is, we can never be truly blessed with unaddressed sin.
However, if we are willing to face our flaws and sin like the Psalmist David did with the right heart and perception of God, we can find peace, comfort, and redemption for what the enemy would hope to destroy us with.
Do not allow this season to consume you. You are not “too far” from God. He is right beside you—even in your sin—waiting for you to turn and cry out to Him. He is with you in this, full of mercy and compassion.
-Megan