You are a hiding place for me

"I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgression to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin... You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance."  Psalm 32: 5,7

In reading this passage, I was reminded of my conversation last week with a dear friend who does not know Jesus.  She was sharing with me how tired she is of not being fully known.  "You know," she said, "it's a way of protecting ourselves.  We don't share our whole selves with people, but it's tiring.  I'm tired," she shared, with tears in her eyes.  It's like in an attempt to protect ourselves we actually end up hurting ourselves; we get the exact opposite of what we're seeking.  "But I don't want people to see my weaknesses," she continued.  "If they know my weaknesses, they will use them against me."

The conversation has stuck with me.  I pray that this friend would know and be known by the One True God.  And as I read the passage from Psalm 32 I thought what joy to know that the God of the universe knows our weaknesses, He knows our sin, and yet He is still a refuge, a safe place for us!

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him." Psalm 103:10-13  

God is love (1 John 4:8) and we know that "Love is patient and kind...it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

May we acknowledge our sin before the Lord, repent, and accept His forgiveness. May we live like His beloved and forgiven children, loving others as He first loved us; forgiving others because He first forgave us.  May we find refuge in God alone!