The Pain Of Guilt

How do we relieve the pain of guilt?

So, what do we do about it? How can we relieve the pain caused by guilt? For answers let's examine Psalm 32.

Of all people, David had good reason for feeling guilty. Scholars believe that David wrote Psalm 32 after he cried to God for forgiveness for his double sin of murder and adultery. David's guilt was immense. He writes, "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear" (Psalm 38:4 NIV). David's release from guilt was sweet. This Psalm offers practical steps to release one from guilt.

A. Let us admit our guilt (v. 5)

We have witnessed the downfall of politicians, ministers, businessmen, and other leaders. When caught many sidestepped the issue of admitting guilt, they normally blame others or are blinded by their own self-righteousness.

David made a similar acknowledgement to a similar sin. He said, "Then I acknowledged my sin to you" (Psalm 32:5).

We cannot expect to live healthily in the future when the baggage of the past keeps banging away at the trap door of our minds demanding attention.

The first step on the road to recovery and relief is admitting that something is wrong in our life.

B. Let us confront the guilt (v. 5)

Next, David "did not conceal my iniquity" (Psalm 32:5). He stopped trying to hide his sin. Guilt must be confronted and dealt with. To overcome it we can't continue to hide its reality. We must deal with it.

The truth is: If we don't deal with our guilt, then our guilt will deal with us.

It may affect you psychologically. "When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long" (Psalm 32:3). David's conscience "groaned all day long." David could not get the wrong out of his mind. It awoke with him. It followed him throughout his daily activities. It gnawed at him as he tried to sleep.

It may affect you spiritually. David said, "For day and night Your hand was heavy on me" (Psalm 32:4). Sin separates us from God. It drives a wedge in our relationship with our Maker. That barrier will remain until we deal with it.

It may affect you physically. It did David. "My strength was drained as in the summer's heat" (Psalm 32:4). Like water that evaporates on a sunny day so did David's physical condition. People lose their appetite, unable to sleep, experience a shortness of breath, be sick all because of guilt feelings. So the truth is that if we don't deal with our guilt it will deal with us.

C. Let us confess our guilt (V.5)

David said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD" (Psalm 32:5). The next step to recovery is to tell God like it is. Confession is not telling God something he doesn't already know. In fact, the word confession means "to agree with." When we confess our sins to God we agree that we have rebelled against his authority. We agree that we have missed the mark or standard set for our lives. We agree that something twisted in us needs straightening out.

Guilt is dispelled only when the truth is told. Only when confession is made will guilt melt like a block of ice.

Guilt is like that huge block of ice. Kept in a dark, cold place, it remains hard. But brought into the light, identified, and confessed, it begins to melt, and soon is gone. And free is the soul that no longer is frozen by unaddressed guilt.

When we confess our guilt to the Lord, he promises to forgive (v.1). This means that he takes it away, like a burden lifted. He covers it over (v. 1). In other words, he hides it from his sight. He does not count it against us or clears our record (v. 1). The debt is paid or cancelled.

D. Let us forget our guilt (vv. 1, 5)

David said, ". . . and You took away the guilt of my sin" (Psalm 32:5). God forgets our confessed sin and so should we. God doesn't just put a record of our past mistakes in a closet, he obliterates them. They are gone forever. When David confessed his sin to God, suddenly his sin and guilt were gone - gone forever.

When we confess our sin God erases the sin and the guilt. We need to forget it and get on with our life. God doesn't remember any confessed sin so why should we.

This week, let us break our barriers (misconceptions) of our thoughts on guilt:

Barrier #1: "What I have done is too bad. I know that God is forgiving, but I cannot be forgiven for this."

Barrier #2: "I must punish myself for my sins in order to be forgiven."

Barrier #3: "I know that God has forgiven me, but that doesn't matter. I cannot forgive myself."

Barrier #4: "Because I am still suffering the effects from my sin, God must not have forgiven me yet."

Barrier #5: "God has allowed too much suffering into my life; I cannot forgive God for what He has done."

So what do we do with guilt?

This week, let us remove all our guilt feelings from our heart by openly sharing them with Jesus through prayer and seek his forgiveness. Then HIS peace will cover your mind and soul. For sure, He will erase all your guilt feelings and grant peace.