Committing a sin is an opportunity.
“Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found …” (Psalms 32:6).
Crisis is an opportunity. A crisis is a great opportunity to hear God's voice. A good example of this is found in Hosea 2:14: "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." The crisis that the Israelites faced was the consequence of their own sins, receiving God's discipline. And that discipline was leading them into the wilderness, into the desert. However, this crisis became an opportunity for them. It became a good opportunity to hear God's voice. While we believe that a crisis is a good opportunity to hear God's voice, is committing a sin also a good opportunity for us? If it is a good opportunity, what kind of opportunity is it? It is a great opportunity to meet the Lord (Psalms 32:6).
Today's passage, Psalms 32, is a psalm written by David after he sinned against God. It was written after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, had her husband, the faithful soldier Uriah, killed, and was rebuked by the prophet Nathan and repented. As I meditated on this psalm, especially verse 6, the phrase "an opportunity to meet the Lord" stood out to me. And the thought that came to mind was that committing a sin is an opportunity. Since I had never thought of it like this before, I was somewhat perplexed. I even wondered, "How can sinning be an opportunity?" As I continued meditating on Psalms 32, especially focusing on verse 6, I began to realize that even through our sins, God gives us the opportunity to meet Him. But what kind of Lord can we meet?
First, committing a sin is an opportunity to meet the Lord who presses upon us.
Look at Psalms 32:4: "For Your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer." David experienced the Lord's hand pressing upon him when he did not confess the sin he had committed. I imagine how heavy David's heart must have been under that pressure. Wasn't his heart weighed down? We should consider this heaviness of heart a blessing. The reason is that often, even after we sin, we do not feel the weight of it in our hearts. When we do not feel heavy-hearted after sinning, it means we are treating our sin lightly. This shows that, in the end, we are not seeing our sin from the perspective of the holy God. As a result, not only do we not confess our sin to God, but we will also try to hide it (v. 5). Furthermore, we will likely commit the same or similar sins again. Therefore, when we sin, and the Lord's hand presses upon us, making our hearts heavy, we should see it as a great blessing. Even through committing sins, we need to experience the Lord's hand pressing upon us day and night.
Second, sin provides an opportunity to meet the Lord who listens to and answers our prayers.
Let’s look again at Psalms 32:6: "Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found." After David sinned, he was rebuked by the prophet Nathan, and in the heaviness of his heart, he confessed his sins to God and repented. He then received God's answer to his prayers. He was forgiven of his sins. You see, sin is a good opportunity to pray for repentance before God. Furthermore, it is a great opportunity to meet the Lord who listens to and answers our prayers. Therefore, we should take the opportunity to meet the Lord and pray to Him.
Third, sin provides an opportunity to meet the Lord who protects and saves us from trouble.
Look at Psalms 32:7: "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." David, as a consequence of his sin, was forced to flee to the wilderness of Judah, pursued by his son Absalom. In the midst of this, David encountered the Lord who was his hiding place, his protector, and his Savior. Not only did the Lord deliver him from the hands of his enemy, Absalom, but He also saved him from the consequences of his own sin. Just as David encountered the Lord of salvation, we too can meet the same Lord of salvation. When we sin against God, the Lord, who presses upon us and makes our hearts heavy, will lead us to confess and repent through prayer. He will hear our prayers, answer us, and save us. We must meet this Savior.
Fourth, sin provides an opportunity to meet the Lord who observes us and gives us instruction.
Look at Psalms 32:8: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." After David sinned against God, he encountered the Lord who observed him and gave him instruction. Isn’t that amazing? How can the holy Lord pay attention to a sinner like him? The Lord is holy, and we are sinners—why would He focus on us and instruct us? The truly incomprehensible thing is that the Holy Spirit, the holy presence of God, dwells within us, even as we sin. Just as the holy God observed and counseled David, the same Lord observes and counsels us. Even after we sin, we are blessed to encounter this Lord who teaches and instructs us.
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Fifth, sin provides an opportunity to meet the compassionate Lord.
Look at Psalms 32:10: "Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him." David experienced the Lord’s unfailing love. He experienced the constant, unchanging love of the Lord. Even though David was not always faithful in loving the Lord and sinned against Him, the Lord still loved him steadfastly. David met that loving Lord, and because of that, he grew to trust the Lord even more. Shouldn’t we also trust that same Lord even more?
I would like to conclude this meditation on the Word. David, who sinned, eventually cried out: “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart” (v. 11). Why did David shout this? The reason was that David had joy and gladness in his heart. The reason for this was that David had encountered the Lord, who pressed him, listened to his prayers, responded to him, protected and saved him from trouble, and corrected him, and who loved him unchangingly. I sincerely hope that we too, after sinning, may meet the same Lord and, because of Him, rejoice and be glad in the Lord.
With a heart of gratitude for the unwavering love of the Lord who is with a sinner like me,
James Kim
(Reflecting on the cross of Jesus Christ on the morning of Thursday, June 21, 2012)