Rid Of Guilt
“When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer…” Psalm 32:3-4AMPC
Have you ever done something, after which you were consumed with guilt? We all have done such things. It was like the guilt was eating me alive. Such a simple little thing— My family was dirt poor. Dad was crippled in an auto accident, when I was twelve. Mom couldn’t get a job until I was almost 15 because of the care level Dad required. …….Junior prom was coming up. Mother had started working but it was a menial factory job, (back when women didn’t get equal pay to men). She had scraped together enough money to buy me a formal dress, but no accessories. I saw a necklace-earring set in the Woolworth Dime Store— (nothing fancy by any means, probably $4 or $5). I saw. I lusted. I stole the jewelry set. …..Mom asked where I got the jewelry— borrowed— I lied. Do you see the compounded of one sin upon another?………….. Guilt ate me up. It mattered little that I was now seventeen. If I told mother, she literally would have spanked me with a switch until I bled. Instead of fessing up to my sin, I become sick.
Guilt will do strange things to a person. For King David, the rape and ensuing murder of Uriah was eating him alive. Even though he hadn’t killed him with his own hand, his words had caused his death. In our text, David testified that he was sick with remorse. The guilty conscience was all consuming because he had sinned against God more than any other.
What can we do to get rid of guilt? Finally, I confessed to the Lord my sin. It sure made me feel better. The same held true for David— V5AMPC “ I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told]—then You [instantly] forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin…” Although, I never did fess up to Mom about the necklace set, I did tell her later that there were times I’d lied to her and asked forgiveness. Also, I couldn’t stand to look at the necklace set, so I returned it to the store, asking for forgiveness for stealing it. They let me off the hook because they saw I was truly remorseful.
In adulthood I’ve found Yahweh Adonai to be my “hiding place,” V7.
Even now, I’m embarking upon a new direction for my life. Consistently I’ve found V8 “ I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”
Because I’ve chosen the Lord’s way for my life, “…who trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy and with loving-kindness.”
Like David I am “…glad in the Lord and rejoice…” Where are you? Are you guilty and suffering inside because that sin weighs heavily on you? Don’t let it eat you up. Will you “…confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told]…?” It’s your choice. You choose.
LET’S PRAY: Holy Father help us to keep very short lists of sinfulness. Cause us to not kiss pride but repent right away I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ.
by Debbie Veilleus Copyright 2025 You have my permission to repost this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.