My sin is before me. When I walk, iniquity is under my feet. Under the sun I am blind. How much more under the moon! My way is made slippery because of my sins, which have gone before me in all that I have done. The guilt of my practices has been with me since birth, and my heart has loved darkness since its days in the womb.
When the Lord walks, truth and His faithful love go before Him. In the hand of my God is a scepter, which He holds like a shepherd of flocks and like a king among the court. His judgment is upon me and His terror is chasing me, because I have transgressed against Him. I have scorned salvation, saying, “I am my own.” I have rejected righteousness, thinking, “I am my own.” I have lied and pleaded innocence, hoping that I am my own. But the Lord possesses all things in heaven and on earth. He has fashioned me and I am indeed not my own. Those of His precious possessions will be brought into the house of God with celebration. Those of His hateful possessions will be cast away and scattered upon the rocks.
My sin is before me, always, like a shadow of a man walking westward at sunrise. My steps are haunted by my very nature. I have sinned against the Lord and against this body He fashioned.
I cannot survive the wrath of God. The scepter moves to strike me, and I am broken even before it hits. My God is mighty and fierce to encounter, and a terror to those who despise His law. For the breakers of the covenant there is shame, and destruction awaits. For me, a transgressor, the judgment of hell is just. Let the glory of the Lord be known in the judgment of humankind.
If only I could be cleansed and washed. If only these stains could be removed and the blood wiped from my hands! If only I could be surrounded by light to cast away the shadow of sin ahead of me; or if, as I turn to the sunrise, my shadow should be kept from following me!
I walk through the shadow; why has it not overcome me? My sin has not overtaken me because of the mercy of God. He has taken away that about which I once said, “This is mine, and I will keep it proudly.” He has removed the heart of darkness and replaced it with a pure heart. The hateful man, who was cast from the presence of the Lord, has been taken up again and restored, with a new interior and a glorified exterior. When I cried, “Do not leave me, Holy Spirit,” He turned to me. His arms bolstered my stance. His hands reformed me. I asked to have my iniquity removed, and to be forgiven of my sins, and to be made anew in His likeness.
A new man is made. The old bones, which were cast away, rejoice, and my heart abounds with understanding of this good news. My body has been renewed. My spirit has been invigorated. Into the precious possessions, the Lord pours wisdom, because He is filled with truth.
What did I do that I could earn such favor? What have I achieved to fall under mercy capable of staying the hand of God? What righteousness have I found to erase the injustices of my past? There is nothing a man can do before the Lord but cry out and hope in the promises of glory. The Lord Himself is my salvation and righteousness, and I have taken hold of Him, because He took hold of me while yet a sinner. Therefore, having received this gift from God, I will make known the righteousness He holds by lifting it up before the world, and proclaiming the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior whom humankind needs.
When the Lord walks, truth and His faithful love go before Him. In the hand of my God is a scepter, which He holds like a shepherd of flocks and like a king among the court. His judgment is upon me and His terror is chasing me, because I have transgressed against Him. I have scorned salvation, saying, “I am my own.” I have rejected righteousness, thinking, “I am my own.” I have lied and pleaded innocence, hoping that I am my own. But the Lord possesses all things in heaven and on earth. He has fashioned me and I am indeed not my own. Those of His precious possessions will be brought into the house of God with celebration. Those of His hateful possessions will be cast away and scattered upon the rocks.
My sin is before me, always, like a shadow of a man walking westward at sunrise. My steps are haunted by my very nature. I have sinned against the Lord and against this body He fashioned.
I cannot survive the wrath of God. The scepter moves to strike me, and I am broken even before it hits. My God is mighty and fierce to encounter, and a terror to those who despise His law. For the breakers of the covenant there is shame, and destruction awaits. For me, a transgressor, the judgment of hell is just. Let the glory of the Lord be known in the judgment of humankind.
If only I could be cleansed and washed. If only these stains could be removed and the blood wiped from my hands! If only I could be surrounded by light to cast away the shadow of sin ahead of me; or if, as I turn to the sunrise, my shadow should be kept from following me!
I walk through the shadow; why has it not overcome me? My sin has not overtaken me because of the mercy of God. He has taken away that about which I once said, “This is mine, and I will keep it proudly.” He has removed the heart of darkness and replaced it with a pure heart. The hateful man, who was cast from the presence of the Lord, has been taken up again and restored, with a new interior and a glorified exterior. When I cried, “Do not leave me, Holy Spirit,” He turned to me. His arms bolstered my stance. His hands reformed me. I asked to have my iniquity removed, and to be forgiven of my sins, and to be made anew in His likeness.
A new man is made. The old bones, which were cast away, rejoice, and my heart abounds with understanding of this good news. My body has been renewed. My spirit has been invigorated. Into the precious possessions, the Lord pours wisdom, because He is filled with truth.
What did I do that I could earn such favor? What have I achieved to fall under mercy capable of staying the hand of God? What righteousness have I found to erase the injustices of my past? There is nothing a man can do before the Lord but cry out and hope in the promises of glory. The Lord Himself is my salvation and righteousness, and I have taken hold of Him, because He took hold of me while yet a sinner. Therefore, having received this gift from God, I will make known the righteousness He holds by lifting it up before the world, and proclaiming the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior whom humankind needs.
1 comment:
Thank you, Philip. Your words address a daily struggle of mine, one which often overwhelms me. I'm now a little less burdened. Thanks. *huggles*
-Mags
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