Obtaining Mercy

For Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Proverbs 28:13

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent,
my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
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 (Psalm 32:1-5).

What can we expect of God when we confess our sin before him? Mercy. Why? Why not rebuke? Unlike us, God already knows the sin. He has already been dealing with it before we confess it. That is why we experience heaviness of heart and guilt. That is why we experience the discipline of trials and consequences. He is bringing us to repentance. Our confession is the result of his loving discipline. His forgiveness is the result of the work he has already done in stirring our hearts.

If in Christ, we can know that all discipline, including the grieving of our hearts, is done out of God's mercy that we may experience God's mercy.