20 June | EVERYONE
"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." Proverbs 28: 13
Richard tossed in bed and could not sleep. The weight of guilt haunted him day and night. He lived nailed to the wood of his own conscience. Human beings believed in his apologies and explanations; but deep down, he plunged into a bottomless pit. He fell into the depths of his self-condemnation until the day someone told him about Jesus and showed him that the only way out of his stormy life was forgiveness.
Richard's attitude has been that of human beings since the Garden of Eden. The poor sinner hides from the weight of guilt among the trees of their own imagination, but they fail to find the peace they long for. They cry and groan in anguish. And one day, tired of running, they toughen up and consider that sin exist.
Solomon teaches that "he who covers his sins will not prosper" because guilt paralyzes, destroys, and leads you into the dark avenues of existential anguish. There is, however, a remedy: Go to Jesus and open your heart to Him, leave in His arms the burden of a guilty conscience, and beg for forgiveness. The promise is that the repentant sinner will obtain mercy.
The Bible is full of stories of sinners who repented and found rest for the soul: David, the king who in a cave wept for his sin and was forgiven; Mary Magdalene, who prostrated herself at the feet of her Master and was purified; Peter, who denied his Lord but experienced forgiveness once he repented.
On the other hand, we also find stories such as that of Judas, who, tormented by the weight of guilt, took his own life; or like that of the unrepentant thief, who drowned in the quagmire of his sarcasm and incredulity.
Take Action
The problem with keeping hidden sins is that their presence will eat away at your soul. Time will pass, and you will eventually discover that you lack peace because you cannot forgive yourself. If so, what will you do with your sins? Sing "Who Will Have Mercy?" (if possible, with your family).