Day Twenty-Seven

Psalm 32:1-5 English Standard Version
Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil of David

1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

“Have a blessed day!”  How often do you hear these words spoken to you?  For me, it seems I usually hear them after I have made a purchase somewhere or met some acquaintance in the store. These words, uttered as a closing, as a goodbye, often make me feel...icky?  “How in the world am I supposed to have a ‘blessed day’” I wondered? “It’s not like I can go around blessing myself, right?  Besides, I’m in a cranky mood.  Don’t tell me what kind of day to have!”  

Good news then, Miss Cranky Pants! Here is the answer you have been looking for.  Let’s do that replacement thingy, shall we, so you can see for yourself how this works.

Blessed is Stefanie whose transgression is forgiven,
   Stefanie’s sin is covered.
Blessed is Stefanie against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
   and in Stefanie’s spirit there is no deceit.
For when Stefanie kept silent, her bones wasted away
   through Stefanie’s groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon Stefanie;
   Stefanie’s strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Stefanie acknowledged her sin to You,
   and Stefanie did not cover her iniquity;
Stefanie said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
   and You forgave the iniquity of Stefanie’s sin. Selah

My transgressions have indeed been forgiven; my sins covered.  The Lord is not counting iniquity in me.  My spirit confesses who I am (no sense even trying to cover that up, huh?).  God’s hand has been heavy on my life and He did not shy away from my confessed sins.  Instead, He forgave them.  Why?  Because I asked Him to!  It’s that simple and therefore, I am blessed.  

So, how about you, friends:  are you ready to “have a blessed day” today?  Me too!  Let’s do this!

Dear Father, thank You so much for Your forgiveness and for Your Word.  I am continually learning new ways to apply it to my life in order that I may grow and not have my bones waste away.

As I get ready to face the world, I ask You to prepare ahead of me folks that I may share this story with.  Your children are blessed, Lord, thanks to Jesus and the coverage of His blood over our sins.  May we not be silent; may we not groan and whine all day long.  Rather, may we be real with You, with ourselves, and then share this relief with others is my prayer today, asked in the vibrant name of Jesus.  Amen!