Psalm 32

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
(Psa 32:1-2)

This is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible… I love it SO MUCH. That one word BLESSED, is just so full of meaning! Some people say it blessed, some read it bless-ed, how ever you pronounce it, there is only one way to understand it… it really means oh what JOY, or oh how HAPPY. We’ve been talking about Joy quite a bit this week, and today I want to talk some more about where it comes from.

In our world happiness is something pursued, something people long to find and hold onto. When people do find it, it is fleeting, it lasts momentarily and then IT IS GONE. They look for it relationships, in experiences, they modify their environment every way they can think of all in an attempt to feel HAPPY. The feeling comes for a moment and then flees to some unknown place, leaving the person sad and empty.

Here in this psalm we read that the truly happy man, the man who has LASTING JOY, is the man who’s:

1. Transgressions (willful sins) are forgiven.
2. Sin is covered (not by himself, but by the Lord… love covers a multitude of sins).
3. Iniquity is not imputed to him (this means their record has been cleared of all guilt).
4. Spirit is free of deceit (honest living, nothing hidden).

The key to having these 4 JOY GIVING realities in your life is CONFESSION and REPENTANCE. As Christians we can come to the Lord and COME CLEAN. We have the blood of Jesus to wash us clean. I will never forget the sheer JOY I felt the day I came totally clean before God and my closest friends for the first time. FREEDOM! GRACE! My soul was singing, my heart was dancing… it was glorious. A burden I had borne for far too long came falling off, “my chains were gone, I’d been set free”.

Everyday I remember that I am a free and forgiven man. It thrills me to this day, I can’t even begin to tell you the joy it is to know I am forgiven and loved by the God of the universe. We read two days ago that “the sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning”. So opposite of the worlds experience… I don’t have to chase happiness anymore, now I live in the presence of God, where I find FULNESS OF JOY.