It’s OK

Read Psalms 17:1–20:9

7. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.
9. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.
10. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
11. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
12. How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
14. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:7-14

One night you get a call from the Christmas pageant chairperson at church. The chairperson wants you to help out this year. You know that you don’t have time, but you feel too guilty to say no. After hanging up, you feel guilty for taking on a responsibility for which you really don’t have time.

Psalm 19 deals with guilt in a constructive way. Here, David sees his guilt and talks to God about it. As you read this passage, look for the right way to deal with guilt.

Other psalms in this reading teach about crying to God for justice (Psalm 17); asking God for help and strength against evil (Psalm 18); and trusting in God for strength when facing challenges (Psalm 20).

Guilt plagues most people. We worry that we may have committed a sin without knowing it, done something good but with selfish intentions, failed to put our best efforts into an important task, or brushed off a significant responsibility. Guilt isn’t always bad, however—it can alert us to changes we need to make in our behavior or beliefs. But at the same time, we should be careful not to let our guilt cripple us or make us afraid to act.

We should follow David’s example by asking God to “cleanse” us of our “hidden faults” and keep us from deliberately doing wrong. For when we confess our sins, we can take comfort in the fact that our fellowship with God is restored and our conscience cleared (see 1 John 1:9). We no longer have a reason to feel guilty.

Take care of your real guilt before God by confessing your sins to him. Then thank God that he has forgiven you.