Laying It Out – Devotion 280 – SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

As we begin to take a look at where we are, what we have been doing and how we might be missing the ways to be a follower of Christ, we may find our mistakes tend to add up. We may find we keep repeating the same ridiculous errors over and over. We may find the same things trip us up and get us off the right path. This can be frustrating. But the more we take the time to see, to identify those problems, the better we are equipped to give them to God. When we do that, we are asking for help. We are looking for a better way. We are laying it all out before him. Until we take that long, hard look at our mistakes, we won’t realize the things which continue to haunt us and send us in the wrong direction.

One of the issues we often run into is we want an easy fix. We want it to all go away. We don’t always want to put in the work to combat our weaknesses. We just want it all to end. Yet, there are consequences to our bad decisions. There are outcomes to the ways that we go – and sometimes those are really challenging, even painful. We sometimes suffer because we have chosen the wrong path. This isn’t always the case. But there are many times when we have gotten ourselves into the situation that is dragging us down. While God provides mercy and redemption, we are not without consequences.

In today’s portion of Psalm 51, the Psalmist admits to God where he has gone wrong. He understands that God has every right to punish him, to cast judgment. He knows he has gone off course and comes before God with it. This is often an important step in getting back to where we need to be. When we can understand how we have gone wrong, we can also appreciate the redemption that is before us. It can also help us not to go that direction again.

Today, may we come before God with an honest assessment of where we are. May we lay it all out before him. This is a step towards healing. It is painful. But it is necessary to begin to move forward.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 51:3-4

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.