ONE LAST PLEA FOR FORGIVENESS

Great must have been the conviction that David felt in his heart as he pleaded for forgiveness. Once again, we see his anguished soul crying out to God for mercy.

“For Your Name’ sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.”
Psalm 25:11

How may we understand this cry, since he had already pleaded for forgiveness, and had been assured of God’s forgiveness? Let us ponder the following thoughts.

1. The viciousness of Satan

Sin may be forgiven by God, but Satan continues to viciously use our memory of past sins to hurt us! Hence, David found himself repeating his plea for forgiveness, because he still felt guilty of his past sins!

2. The weakness of the human mind

The mind is not as strong as we may imagine. There may be days when we feel strong, but there will also be days when we feel weak and vulnerable. In our weaker moments, the memory of our sins will come back and hurt us!

3. The best thing to do

What should we do when our memories come back to haunt us? The answer is to emulate the example of David. Find another basis for pleading for forgiveness. David added another basis for pleading God’s forgiveness- “His name’s sake” ({Psalm 25:11)!

THE WAY OF THE LORD

God does more than forgive sins! He knows only too well that we need more than just an assurance of forgiveness of sins! We need to walk away from the paths of sin. The further we walk away from sin, the stronger we will be. The best way to walk away from the paths of sin is to learn afresh the ways of God.

“The humble He guides in justice,
and the humble He teaches His way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
Psalm 25:9-10

1. “His way”

Till the forgiven sinner walks in God’s way consistently, he will never be freed from the Accuser’s reach!

2. “All the paths of the LORD”

The forgiven sinner must love to walk in all the paths of the Lord. He must endeavor to “keep His commandments and His testimonies.” Anything else less than that will not free the mind from being trapped by his past sins!

~ Pastor Charlie Tan ~