Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out! Psalm 107:1-2a

We’ve all messed up.  It’s one of those universal facts of life.  We’ve had moments, or even whole seasons, in life in which looking back on we can only say that we were a fool, an idiot, or even a jerk. We’ve all hurt someone, and have been hurt. We’ve all at times thought we could do things our own way and get by, throwing out counsel of what we knew was true and trying to find our own “truth”. We’ve made excuses for ourselves. We’ve lied, even to ourselves, about what we know in our hearts is true.

Hiding from our mistakes we’ve grasped at straws to try to put things back together again, stubbornly refusing to acknowledged our need. We’ve rebelled until we feel rejected, and then we’ve wallowed in our own personal victimization. Until we are left alone, broken, stubbornly holding on to our pride and self justification, but so empty that we are a nothing inside.

To some extent, we’ve all done it.

And that’s ok.

Because at some point, at some time, when we were at our most low, and our most desperate. We turned and said, “God Help!” And to our amazement instead of a vengfull lecture, instead of bolts of lightning and unimaginable anger, God bent down,  He took our hand, and He lifted our face to Him, and said the most incredible thing,

“I forgive you, my Beloved.”

He picked us up, broke off the chains we forged ourselves in our own ignorance, and led us out of the fire we’d thrown ourselves into. He cleaned us,  cleansed us, healed our hearts, and LOVED us, and then we are new.

Not for a moment did He reject us, or look on us with contempt or accusation. There was no anger in His eyes. Only a Father, welcoming us home.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the council of the Most High. That is why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he napped their chains. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and the wonderful things he has done for them. For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars or iron.

Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts. Psalm 107:10-22

If you’ve messed up, if you’ve come to this moment, just look up and say “LORD, help!” He’s right there waiting.

As for me, I will stand here and I will testify to His grace for as long as I have breath!

~Joy Aletheia Stevens

Photo Credit: Rain by Mark Sebastian (CC BY-SA 2.0)