Psalm 32 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 32 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Verse 2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Verse 3While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
Verse 4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Verse 5Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Verse 6Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
Verse 7You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
Verse 8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Verse 9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
Verse 10Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Verse 11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Devotion
God’s promise is a hiding place for us. God’s promise holds us and preserves us. God’s promise is simple: God’s steadfast love surrounds us and nothing, nothing will ever separate us from that love. That is God’s promise which sustains us in this life, on this journey of faith. The journey may take unexpected turns, encounter unsettling events, sudden illness, or other challenges, but God does not abandon us. In fact, God’s steadfast love shapes our way. God gives instruction, as the psalmist sings. The way God teaches is also simple: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And this instruction is laid out for us in the Ten Commandments that offer us a way to live on this earth and with one another in peace.
Prayer
God of forgiveness, you shelter us in the midst of the storm. In times of distress, in these times of COVID-19 and all its repercussions, teach us to care for one another. Amen.