Record Keeping

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130 ESV).

 

You may be aware that 48,344 Americans died from suicide in 2020. While this number was lower than expected by many mental health professionals, it was still the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. For those ages 10-34, it was the 2^nd leading cause of death; and, in the age group of 35-54 it was the 4^th leading cause of death. Simple math tells us this amounts to an average of 132 Americans dying each day by suicide. If we count the number of those attempting suicide, it grows to almost one and one-half million people. If you are one of those contemplating harming yourself, please call the hotline published here, or contact a professional immediately for help.

 

Some may be thinking how these statistics relate to our reading today. In my experience suicide often seems to be the only choice left for those who are dealing with seemingly unbearable circumstances in life. More Christians than we know go through life needlessly carrying a load of guilt, or a crushing sense of abject failure. Some feel there is no hope because of something they did or didn’t do. Of course, I am not saying that there is not a serious mental health condition associated with suicide. In fact, we know there is a diagnosable mental health condition in 90% of all suicides. What I am saying is that some of this suffering can be managed with the appropriate understanding of the truth of God’s grace.

 

Too many folks really believe they have been disqualified from God’s love because of some past actions. According to our reading today, however, we don’t have to carry the weight of our sins. We don’t even have to get rid of our sins. God has done it for us.

The psalmist writes: “If you. LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness” (vv. 1-2). God keeps no record. He has pushed the delete button on our sins, and because of the Lord Jesus, our Savior, God has wiped our record clean. The apostle John put it this way: “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). That’s the good news for all of us!