The Secret of Perpetual Joy
“..And my sin is always before me” Psalm 51:3b
I wonder what most modern day psychologists and perhaps even preachers would think of a confession like the one David makes in this penitent psalm. David is confessing that all he sees in his future before him is the guilt of a sin-ridden past. His sin is always before him. I suspect that many modern experts would consider David dysfunctional. They would immediately hurry to advise him in various ways to erase this past and his guilt so he can get on with the future. They would consider this revisiting of his past as detrimental to the vision of the future, especially for a King. But as we read, we discover that all of history, religious and secular, attests to the greatness of this King David. We see him penning the sweetest song of all times, the shepherds psalm, psalm 23. We hear God’s affirmation of him as “a man after my own heart”, the greatest compliment heaven may confer upon man. He is perhaps the happiest king we encounter in the pages of the Bible. We hear of him dancing with abandon as the “Ark of God” is brought home. As it turns out, the man with his sins always before him is the man with great joy in his heart, a sweet song on his lips, and becomes the towering standard of morality to whom all the later kings have to be compared!
I think we have missed out on the secret of great and perpetual joy. The secret is in what follows in this Psalm. David continues, “Against You, You only have I sinned” and “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow”. He then adds “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, uphold me with Your generous Spirit, then I will teach transgressors Your ways.” The taunting of past sins has become the gateway to a useful future!
I think the modern world has conceived of all sorts of ways to forget the past, and to somehow suppress this guilt that arises out of the recognition of our sins, and in doing so has blurred the very hope of genuine joy. One writer on extolling the virtues of humanism writes, “But think how much people waste of their lives in useless replays of past wrongs.” After commenting on the problem of not being able to resolve this guilt, the author adds, “Such actions can distract one from a meaningful pursuit of ones goals as much as outright guilt can.”1 Perhaps it is the reason why entertainment industry never suffers a recession. It is in the business of helping people forget, at least for a while. But the history of great men shows us that the secret of joy, and the grandest vision for the future is to be found by those who have their “sin always before them”. John Newton, the author of our beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace”, had the text, “You shall remember that you were a bondman in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.” To remind him of the past sins he was saved from. Thomas Goodwin said that when his heart would get cold he would “take a turn up and down among the sins of his past life”.
Here is the secret of perpetual joy. It is found in the depth of the sorrow over sin, and the remembering of the mercy of God shown in His son’s sacrifice to wash it clean.
Frank W. Boreham in his essay, “Specter and Song”, says it perhaps most succinctly. “The man who has his sin haunting him will never wander far from the wealthiest things. He will build his home near the Cross.” “It is only those who know what it is to be haunted know what it is to be happy. For the specter and the song are inseparable.”2
Danesh Manik
1Ancient Stoicism And Rational Psychology, Humanistic Ways To Mental Health (1995), by Frederick Edwords
2”Mountains in the Mist”, Frank W. Boreham
All Bible References from The New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
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"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ.
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Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved. You may re-transmit by electronic mail, or make individual copy of this message provided the use is not for profit or commercial purpose, and the credit line appears in its entirety at the conclusion of the forward or reprint. A Soul’s Anchor is the ministry of the India International church. India International Church may withdraw or modify this grant of permission at any time. "A Soul’s Anchor" may NOT be reproduced in any form on the World Wide Web or in print media or other media without express written permission. Please submit requests via email to indiachurch@jesusforindians.org or write to: A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
I wonder what most modern day psychologists and perhaps even preachers would think of a confession like the one David makes in this penitent psalm. David is confessing that all he sees in his future before him is the guilt of a sin-ridden past. His sin is always before him. I suspect that many modern experts would consider David dysfunctional. They would immediately hurry to advise him in various ways to erase this past and his guilt so he can get on with the future. They would consider this revisiting of his past as detrimental to the vision of the future, especially for a King. But as we read, we discover that all of history, religious and secular, attests to the greatness of this King David. We see him penning the sweetest song of all times, the shepherds psalm, psalm 23. We hear God’s affirmation of him as “a man after my own heart”, the greatest compliment heaven may confer upon man. He is perhaps the happiest king we encounter in the pages of the Bible. We hear of him dancing with abandon as the “Ark of God” is brought home. As it turns out, the man with his sins always before him is the man with great joy in his heart, a sweet song on his lips, and becomes the towering standard of morality to whom all the later kings have to be compared!
I think we have missed out on the secret of great and perpetual joy. The secret is in what follows in this Psalm. David continues, “Against You, You only have I sinned” and “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow”. He then adds “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, uphold me with Your generous Spirit, then I will teach transgressors Your ways.” The taunting of past sins has become the gateway to a useful future!
I think the modern world has conceived of all sorts of ways to forget the past, and to somehow suppress this guilt that arises out of the recognition of our sins, and in doing so has blurred the very hope of genuine joy. One writer on extolling the virtues of humanism writes, “But think how much people waste of their lives in useless replays of past wrongs.” After commenting on the problem of not being able to resolve this guilt, the author adds, “Such actions can distract one from a meaningful pursuit of ones goals as much as outright guilt can.”1 Perhaps it is the reason why entertainment industry never suffers a recession. It is in the business of helping people forget, at least for a while. But the history of great men shows us that the secret of joy, and the grandest vision for the future is to be found by those who have their “sin always before them”. John Newton, the author of our beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace”, had the text, “You shall remember that you were a bondman in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.” To remind him of the past sins he was saved from. Thomas Goodwin said that when his heart would get cold he would “take a turn up and down among the sins of his past life”.
Here is the secret of perpetual joy. It is found in the depth of the sorrow over sin, and the remembering of the mercy of God shown in His son’s sacrifice to wash it clean.
Frank W. Boreham in his essay, “Specter and Song”, says it perhaps most succinctly. “The man who has his sin haunting him will never wander far from the wealthiest things. He will build his home near the Cross.” “It is only those who know what it is to be haunted know what it is to be happy. For the specter and the song are inseparable.”2
Danesh Manik
1Ancient Stoicism And Rational Psychology, Humanistic Ways To Mental Health (1995), by Frederick Edwords
2”Mountains in the Mist”, Frank W. Boreham
All Bible References from The New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
__________________________________________________________
"A Soul’s Anchor” is a daily inspirational message prepared to challenge your mind, inspire your heart, and motivate you to anchor your soul in the person of Jesus Christ.
If you know a friend who would enjoy receiving "A Soul’s Anchor" in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up by emailing us at subscribe@asoulsanchor.org . The messages may also be read at our website, http://www.asoulsanchor.org. To unsubscribe, please email, unsubscribe@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. To change to a weekly instead of a daily subscription, email weekly@asoulsanchor.org with your email in the subject line. For receiving messages by mail, please write to us at A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved. You may re-transmit by electronic mail, or make individual copy of this message provided the use is not for profit or commercial purpose, and the credit line appears in its entirety at the conclusion of the forward or reprint. A Soul’s Anchor is the ministry of the India International church. India International Church may withdraw or modify this grant of permission at any time. "A Soul’s Anchor" may NOT be reproduced in any form on the World Wide Web or in print media or other media without express written permission. Please submit requests via email to indiachurch@jesusforindians.org or write to: A Soul’s Anchor, India International Church, 3654 Okemos Rd., Okemos, MI 48864
posted by Danesh Manik | 1:11 PM
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