Blessed Are Those Who Lament

By Danny Saavedra

“For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. . . . Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.”—Psalm 38:17–22 (NIV)

NOTE: Before reading today’s devotional, read through the entirety of Psalm 38 and sit with it for five minutes.

Have you ever weighed food before? I used to love going to the grocery store as a kid for—amongst a great many reasons—the thrill of putting plantains, potatoes, apples, or peaches on the scale. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I actually thought it was pretty awesome. And I learned that the more weight I added, the farther down the scale would go.

Today, we’re going to unpack a very heavy topic: the weight of sin. That’s what Psalm 38 is all about, and why I really hope you did the little exercise I gave you above.

Psalm 38 was written by David. It's possible this lament was composed in response to David's sin with Bathsheba, but we don’t know for certain, and it doesn’t make a difference. It’s a deep lament, an anguished plea full of pain and guilt as David experienced the effects (seemingly physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) of his sin and the Hand of the Lord upon him. This was the depth of pain David felt about his own sinfulness, to the point where he even says, “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear” (Psalm 38:4 NIV).

Wow! A burden too heavy to bear. Friend, maybe you’re not like David. Maybe you’ve never forced yourself onto someone, committed adultery, or had someone murdered. It doesn’t make a difference because sin is sin. And habitual, unrepentant sin that we haven’t confronted and given over to Jesus drives a wedge between us and God—and like the fruit on the scale, weighs on us until it becomes too heavy to bear.

Can I share something with you? I want to feel this way when there’s sin in my life. I’ve asked the Lord to make sin feel so painful to me. Why? Because I’d rather feel anguished and broken over my sins than apathetic and ambivalent. I want to live out the truth of Matthew 5:4 (NIV), which says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” Theologian John Gill said of this verse, “Blessed are they that mourn for sin, for their own sins; the sin of their nature . . . which is always working in them and is a continual grief of mind to them.”

This feeling, this weight expressed in Psalm 38 is what Paul calls “Godly Sorrow.” And according to 2 Corinthians 7, Godly Sorrow produces repentance. And when we repent, 1 John 1:9 (NIV) says, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” That’s why Jesus says the mourner is blessed because they’ll always be comforted by God!

This is why, even in his anguish and pain, we can clearly see that David knows he hasn’t been abandoned by God. He’s experiencing the correction which comes through the guilt and shame of sin. He humbly appeals to God, openly confesses his sin, and declares his repentance as he says, “Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior” (Psalm 38:22 NIV).

And friends, this is the beautiful thing we know to be true as children of our Good Heavenly Father: Although we may experience consequences for our sins here and now, Hebrews 12:11 (NJKV) says, the chastening of the Lord “yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” And not only that, but when we bring our sin, shame, and guilt to Him, He takes the shame away and we’re able to feel His Forgiveness, Grace, Love, and Peace wash over us!

Pause: How do you feel after sinning?

Practice: Ask the Lord to search your heart today and reveal areas of unrepentant sin, habitual sin, apathy toward sin, or rebellion toward the Truth of His Word. Then, humbly repent of whatever He reveals to you, knowing He’s forgiven you and desires to set you free from the weight and grip it has over you.

Pray: Father, may my sin, disobedience, and rebellion toward You, Your Ways, and Your Word produce in me the same visceral reaction as it did in David. May sin be repulsive to me. I desire to crave, pursue, and consume only that which is pleasing to You and that which glorifies You.

Forgive me today, Father, for areas I’ve held back from You, areas I’ve lived in unrepentant and active rebellion toward You. I know that in Christ, I’m forgiven, but I confess these things to You that I may feel You take the weight of it off my shoulders and feel Your Peace, Grace, and Forgiveness wash over me like a gentle wave. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen!