He who conceals his sins will not prosper

Proverbs 28:13 (NASB)

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.

Isn’t this the truth?  How many times has it happened to you and/or you’ve seen it happen to others that covering up sin never works for long?  Look at all the athletes and politicians in the past few years who have tried to cover up their sins, yet still got caught, had to confess, lost lots of respect from others, and never really prospered as much again. 

This verse is used in probably every book ever written on prayer.  If you have been praying a certain request for a long time and you’ve not received an answer, could it be that there’s a sin or sins in your life that you continue to commit and that you have not confessed AND turned away from that sin?  Conversely, note the result of confession and repentance (deliberately turning away from sin)---you receive the mercy (lovingkindness) of God. 

The mercy of God is the sense of experiencing God’s peace of heart and mind.  When you confess your sins and have a sincere desire not to commit such sins again, you feel better about yourself, don’t you?  Why?  Because you are experiencing God’s mercy, His not doing to you what you deserve, and you feel a peace about this. 

There is great mercy and peace when you admit wrong.  There still may be consequences for such wrong, but your conscience becomes clear and you can more easily face those consequences.  You are at peace with yourself.  Plus, most people are willing to forgive you (another form of mercy) when you confess to them.  This may not be a good illustration, and I am not a supporter, but there seemed to be a national acceptance of President Obama after he admitted one time that he had “screwed up”.  It was refreshing for someone of prominence to admit publicly right away, not after being caught later, that he had made a mistake.  People accepted this confession and perhaps our nation and Obama himself will prosper as a result of his decision not to conceal and freely admit his mistake.

Conversely, I had an experience with someone of high visibility, a leader of others, who had been insulting many of his followers, including me, some intentional, some unintentional, e.g. trying to be funny, but in fact his humor was insulting.  I met with him one-on-one and asked, even begged him, to apologize to those he hurt.  He replied that he would think about it, but never did.  He was unwilling to admit his mistakes to others.  

To admit wrong takes humility.  It takes great courage and humility to admit wrong.  It is not easy to admit wrong, but there are blessings when you admit wrong.  One of the greatest blessings is that you escape from the stronghold that the devil has over you by concealing your sin(s).  Jonathan Edwards had a great quote about this:  “Nothing sets a person so much out of reach of the devil as humility”.

We must obey God rather than men

Acts 5:29 (NASB)

“We must obey God rather than men”

This statement by Peter and the other apostles is the supreme example of boldness. When the Scripture says to be bold (the best verse, in my opinion, is Philippians 1:20), boldness almost always means practicing this verse.  No question that it takes great courage to go against the secular crowd and follow the ways of God. 

Examples:

·  Standing firm in your faith when others ridicule you for such faith. 

·  Defending your church when others complain about it

·  Asking someone if he/she believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior when you don’t know what the reaction/response will be

·  In private, telling a friend that he/she is sinning realizing that your bold honesty might ruin that friendship.

·  Refusing to do something that would violate your conscience while everyone else is doing it and ridiculing you for not doing, e.g. drinking, taking drugs, having sex, going to a perverted movie or play, stealing, lying, all kinds of situations like these

One of my favorite movies is “Chariots of Fire” that won the Oscar for best picture in 1981.  One of the heroes of the true story is the Scottish sprinter, Eric Liddell, who refused to run in a qualifying 100 meter heat at the 1924 Paris Olympics because it was to be held on a Sunday.  Despite enormous pressure from the Prince of Wales and the British Olympic Committee, he held his position because of his Christian conviction that to run on Sunday would be a failure to honor the Sabbath.  While everyone disagreed with his position, they also privately held admiration for the boldness of his faith.

Think about your boldness.  Are you bold at all about your faith or are you afraid of what others will think (Proverbs 29:25)?  Are you more concerned about what people will think of you than what God thinks of you?  Are others well aware of your priorities, faith and obedience to the Lord (without being unduly pious or overbearing)?  And, are you so bold about your faith in the Lord that you would be willing to die rather than renounce it?  That is a question that you’ll never know the answer unless/until it actually happens.  Yet, it’s a question that hypothetically causes you to think how obedient and how bold you are in your Christian faith.     

“The righteous are bold as a lion” –- Proverbs 28:1b

Being at your "wits' end"

Psalm 107:27-28 (NASB)

They reeled and staggered like a drunken man and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.  He saved them out of their distresses. 

Have you ever been “at your wits’ end”?  Sure you have.  Typically, raising children at one time or another causes parents to be at their wits’ end.  Dealing with difficult bosses causes enormous stress.  Certain relationships can lead to a point where you cannot take it anymore.  A nagging illness or something causing chronic pain that never disappears can lead you to your wits’ end.   An accumulation of “little things” in life can lead to arriving at your wits’ end.  I was just reading about a guy who was at his wits’ end over a neighbor’s barking dog!  Each individual reading this can quickly cite a circumstance or more where you were at your wits’ end.  Indeed, right now you may be at your wits’ end.  What recourses do you have? 

What do people do when they reach their wits’ end?  Well, they act like what the Bible describes as a drunken man.  What’s the imagery of a drunken man?  One who loses control of his physical and mental functions, acts irrational, and simply cannot make wise decisions.  The original Hebrew for “wits end” literally means to have all your wisdom swallowed up!  There is nothing else that you can wisely think of to deal with, handle, solve, or overcome whatever circumstances are causing you to reach this point.

So, there are basically two types of responses people make when they reach their wits’ end.  One response is governed by natural human reactions and tendencies that result in the drunken man imagery.  People have nervous breakdowns, resort to drugs and alcohol, suffer significant depression and perhaps do and say things that are very regrettable later.

The other response is governed by having the Lord in control of your life and who will help you manage and overcome your circumstances.  Like the psalmist writes, people cry out to the Lord in their trouble and He saves them out of their distresses.  The entire 107^th Psalm teaches that the Lord delivers people from despairing circumstances in their lives.  What a huge promise.  Yet why don’t people believe?  It takes unwavering faith to believe what the Bible says is true (Hebrews 11:1,6) and reasons why people don’t believe all have something to do with a lack of faith (Matthew 14:31, Matthew 17:20, Mark 6:6, Romans 10:17, II Corinthians 5:17).

What has caused you to be at your wits’ end in your past and what did you learn from the experience?  What worked and what didn’t work?  Was the Lord involved in helping you?  What might be causing you to be at your wits’ end right now?  If you are reading this then you still have some rationality remaining where you can take appropriate action and avoid what might cause regrets later.  The most rational thing you can read and meditate over Psalm 107 and allow the Spirit of the Lord to give you relief and peace.  He will also answer your prayers in giving you insights (faith) to what you can do (works) to alleviate your troubles.    

“When a man is at his wits' end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get in touch with Reality.”—Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 28 reading.

Great example of a truly heartfelt prayer

Psalm 148:1,2,5,7,8,10 (NASB)

Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!  And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands.  Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

A dear friend in the midst of dealing with illness and suffering of her husband and daughter at the same time let me know how much Psalm 148 meant to her.  I wanted to explore its depths and learn more about what it says and means to those who are like my friend. 

David wrote both requests and affirmations.  I find 8 requests and 6 affirmations:

Requests

·    Hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, answer me

·    Do not judge me, even though I am not righteous, no one is

·    Answer me quickly as my spirit often fails

·    Do not hide Your face from me as I quickly can be discouraged

·    Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning

·    Teach me the way in which I should walk

·    Teach me to do Your will

·    Let Your good spirit lead me

Affirmations

·    God is faithful

·    God is righteous

·    I meditate on all God’s works

·    I trust in You

·    To you I lift up my soul

·    You are my God

David experienced significant trials in his life as you can glean from reading most of the 78 psalms he wrote (the other 72 were written by a variety of authors that David collected along with his own).  He was a man after God’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), yet that didn’t prevent him from enduring many trials and suffering as much or more than the average person.  David’s requests fall into two categories---asking God to help him through his current problems and needs, but also asking God to help him become a better person.  David’s affirmations both describe the character of God and his own strong beliefs in and about God.  Note how heartfelt David’s requests were and how humble he was in asking God to make him a better person.

It is a key learning point from David’s prayer that when you are suffering through trials and troubles and have great needs for answered prayer, it is perfectly acceptable to demand answers as you cry out to God, but you also need to ask God to make you a better person through your trials and to affirm all that God means to you.  You cry out to God to help you and you also cry out for God Himself.  You seek both relief from God and a deeper relationship with God.

As you think about previous trials you have endured, how has your faith grown through those trials?  How can your faith grow more deeply in the trial you may be experiencing right now?  Use this psalm of David’s as your own prayer and personalize it to your own situation.  You will experience a much deeper intimacy with the Lord and you will most definitely experience His faithfulness.  May you feel God’s richest blessings. 

“Oh Lord, help me to feel your calming hand upon me when I am in pain.  Let your ever-loving comfort enfold me, And give me the heart to see that in my suffering, I am becoming closer to you...and more divine.” --Maureen Pratt