The Sinner’s Psalm

Now for the fun one I’d like to write about in May!  I have been reading through the Psalms with a soon to be graduate (sadly without a graduation ceremony due to COVID).  And it has been so enjoyable to read through the Psalms with a high schooler’s perspective.  She thinks of things I wouldn’t ask questions about.  We hit Psalm 32 several weeks ago (we are on Psalm 52 today!).  It is the Psalm that starts with “Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him, in whom there is no deceit.”  

We had been talking about how so many Psalms surrounding this one have recognizable songs written from them that we sing in church today.  I think of Psalm 34 by Shane and Shane: “taste and see that the Lord is good.”  And Phil Wickham’s “Cannons” after all the Psalms that contain the beautiful imagery of God’s power in the heavens and earth.  After all, the Psalms are songs, so it makes sense.  But, I realized I don’t think I knew a song that contained these verses from Psalm 32.  And what a CRUCIAL part of our faith.  We are blessed because our sins our forgiven.  Later in the Psalm is when David says, “My strength was sapped away…Your hand was heavy on me…Then I said, ‘I will confess my sin to the Lord,’ and He forgave the guilt of my sin.”  I mean, how essential is this to our faith.  It is THE ESSENTIAL thing!!  God must be just, but He pardons sin.  He does so because of His Son, the perfect substitutionary sacrifice offered up on our behalf because of our failures – and He does not hold our sin against us.  Is this not the gospel?  And I thought, “I hope I can write a song about this!” 🙂

Behold, I day later, I had a really happy go lucky melody to accompany this very heavy…yet extremely joy-filled topic.  I think sometimes we as modern 21st century first world Christians just sing joyfully when life is good and reflecting on only the good that God brings about.  But, we can rejoice in this: We have sinned, and can acknowledge it, and God forgives it.  What a beautiful truth.  

A good friend has loved listening to Shane and Shane’s Psalm songs.  If you haven’t heard them, I highly recommend them.  But, she says that one of the most valued parts of the songs they write about the Psalms is often times that she gets to see them bring in Jesus, the fulfillment to what the Psalms are alluding.  What a pleasure to be able to do that with this Psalm, and I hope you enjoy the words!

The Sinner’s Psalm

Oh, it’s the sinner exposed 
Who comes to know relief from kicking against the goads
And I was the one kicking hard, 
But the Hand of Grace weighed heavy on my heart
Oh yes, the Hand of Grace found me in the dark

I hide no more
For blessed are 
Those forgiven of their transgressions
There is no sin
He has counted against me

Oh, it’s the sinner forlorn
Who comes to know his freedom running back home
And I was the one who’d run far 
But when I said, “I will confess my sin to the Lord’”
All was said while held within my Father’s arms

Come let the sinner behold
​He who carried our iniquity; Our shame, He bore
Though we were the ones fallen short
He became the guiltless slain, spurned and scorned
That at His name all sinner’s praise Christ the Risen Lord