From Guilt to Restoration

Psalm 85:1-3

LORD, You showed favor to Your land; You restored Jacob’s prosperity. You took away Your people’s guilt; You covered all their sin.  Selah. You withdrew all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.

While God may become angry with our sin, He loves us with great compassion. Notice the Selah, or pause, in the middle of this praise. Israel had felt the fury and burning anger of God at one point due to her sin, but she later felt the favor of a loving Father as He restored prosperity and removed the guilt left by sin.

The remainder of this Psalm is a cry for God to forgive and restore once again. The sons of Korah wrote this Psalm in recognition of a forgiving and restoring God. They fully realized Israel’s sinful condition but placed their hope in a God who is faithful to those who cry out to Him.

When we endure difficult times from the result of sin, we may feel as if we are being punished. We are broken as we feel the guilt from the situation and believe we deserve our fate.  If we, however, see the sin in our lives and realize the full extent of our guilt, we become wide open for God’s grace to flow to us if we will only submit the matter to Him. What we truly need at that point is a restoring work, and the only way to find it is to turn to God. Jesus has already paid the price for our sin, and nothing we can do on our own will cover it or correct it.

If things have fallen apart in your life, turn to God. Even if your hardship is your own fault, God desires to restore you and not to punish you. You can feel his fury for a moment, but He gladly and willingly withdraws His anger just so He can cover your sin and make you whole again. Repent and submit your matter to God, then take a moment and pause – Selah.  You cannot pay for your sin any more than what has already been paid, so know that God is now willing to restore you. Rest in His unfailing and faithful compassion toward you.

Have a blessed day!