7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
12 “Hear my prayer, Lord,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
___________
What struck me these verses is how earnestly and desperately David is praying for forgiveness. As was the case in Psalm 38, David is quite mindful of the consequences of his sin, and the resulting judgment he perceives. But David doesn’t just want the consequences to end. He wants hope, forgiveness, and an end to his weeping. His life has become unenjoyable, and he longs for that to change before death takes him.
I am thankful for the abundant and free forgiveness that I have because of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Because of the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus, He has reconciled all of creation. I am thankful beyond words that this gift is bestowed freely, not based on my worthiness, but rather flowing from His love.
But it can be taken for granted, can’t it? The danger of free grace is that it can become cheap, taken for granted, viewed as an entitlement. (Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with free grace. The danger arrives from our broken nature which seeks to serve and deify itself at every turn.) The cross reminds us that free grace is not cheap. God gave everything, beyond our comprehension, to ransom and redeem us. A line from one of the hymns we often sing on Good Friday states this well: “All who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great, here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.”
The other part of cheap grace is to lose sight of what we have been saved from, how desperate our plight without the Lord’s salvation, how utterly lost we would be without this gift. David’s words give us a glimpse. Just read them again and feel his desperation. He trusted in His Lord. He knew that God would deliver. All his hope was in him. But he also saw clearly how utterly hopeless he was without God’s grace.
My prayer is that my thankfulness for God’s abundant free grace does not become cheap grace in my heart and life. I pray that by the Holy Spirit, I would be kept mindful of my utter need for my Savior, and His forgiveness daily.
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