Overwhelmed – August 1, 2020

Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled.
You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.
Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
Psalm 65:1-4

Overwhelmed

Are you feeling overwhelmed today? There are plenty of things to overwhelm us: appointments and assignments, meetings and deadlines, practices and games. Then there is the never-ending list of chores: make dinner, wash the dishes, vacuum the floor, clean the garage, do a load of laundry…and another load…and another load…and another load. It can all be a bit overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be great if someone miraculously took away all of these responsibilities? What a sense of relief you would have!

Psalm 65 talks about being overwhelmed, not by earthly responsibilities, but by sins against your heavenly Father. When you sin, your conscience weighs you down with guilt. It might be a sin you committed yesterday or years ago. It might be a sin you committed against a family member or a friend. It might be a sin that everyone knows about or a sin that no one but God knows about. It might not be a particular sin but rather the multitude of your sins that’s overwhelming.

Wouldn’t it be great if someone miraculously took away all of those sins? What a sense of relief you would have! Well, someone did. His name was Jesus, and when he died on a cross two thousand years ago, he took all of your sins with him. Because of what Jesus did, Psalm 65 can say, “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.”

God has forgiven your sins. Let go of your guilt. Live this day in the freedom of his forgiveness.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving my sins through Jesus. Lighten the load on my heart with this good news and let me live this day in the freedom of your forgiveness. Amen.