A Joyful Penitential Psalm

Psalm 30, 32 • Psalm 42, 43
Isa. 8:1-15 • 2 Thess. 3:6-18 • Luke 22:31-38

When I read the Morning Psalms for today, I knew had to tell you about an elderly man I visited whose favorite scripture was Psalm 32. E D—that is not Ed but just two letters E D—was one of the holiest men I have ever known. It was a joy to visit him every week. We would read Scripture and talk about God.

I asked him why Psalm 32 was his favorite. He said, “How can it not be! God tells us everything we need to know here. What He can do for us for the asking. What he does for us when we ask. And what He will do for us even without asking Him. He cleanses our sins, and he takes away our guilt. He protects and instructs us. He tells us to trust Him, to be glad and to shout for joy.”

He sure did wrap that all up. A joyful penitential psalm! The psalm declares that it is not our sinning that affects us spiritually and even physically but rather our failure to acknowledge our sins. When we ask forgiveness, God “forgives the burden of our guilt.”

God teaches us the way to go. But there is one catch. We need to trust God because “mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord”. Might be easier said than done. Trusting in the Lord, giving him control over our lives, and letting Him teach us the way to go can be a tall order. But we try and we look to be glad. And sometimes we just have to shout for joy! Shout for joy today and rejoice in the Lord! E D shouted for joy all the way to heaven this July at the age of 97.

Written by Chris Schaefer

Chris is a chaplain and in her third year of the Iona Initiative, a program for locally trained clergy for the Diocese of Arkansas. Chris looks forward to being ordained a transitional deacon in March 2021. Chris and her husband live in Bella Vista and attend St. Theodore’s Episcopal Church.