“Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my
sins.”
— Psalms 25:18

It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas
concerning our sins-when, being under God’s hand, we are not wholly
taken up with our pain, but remember our offences against God. It is
well, also, to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to
God that David carried his sorrow: it was to God that David confessed
his sin. Observe, then, we must take our sorrows to God. Even your
little sorrows you may roll upon God, for he counteth the hairs of your
head; and your great sorrows you may commit to him, for he holdeth the
ocean in the hollow of his hand. Go to him, whatever your present
trouble may be, and you shall find him able and willing to relieve you.
But we must take our sins to God too. We must carry them to the cross,
that the blood may fall upon them, to purge away their guilt, and to
destroy their defiling power.

The special lesson of the text is this:-that we are to go to the Lord
with sorrows and with sins in the right spirit. Note that all David
asks concerning his sorrow is, “Look upon mine affliction and my pain;”
but the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided,
plain-“Forgive all my sins.” Many sufferers would have put it, “Remove
my affliction and my pain, and look at my sins.” But David does not say
so; he cries, “Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not
dictate to thy wisdom. Lord, look at them, I will leave them to thee, I
should be glad to have my pain removed, but do as thou wilt; but as for
my sins, Lord, I know what I want with them; I must have them forgiven;
I cannot endure to lie under their curse for a moment.” A Christian
counts sorrow lighter in the scale than sin; he can bear that his
troubles should continue, but he cannot support the burden of his
transgressions.

On this day...

• Job 13 - 2024
• Job 12 - 2024
• THE INITIATIVE AGAINST DEPRESSION - 2009
• John 1:41 - 2009
• The Great Goddess Numbers - 2009
• WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? - 2009
• DEALING WITH BETRAYAL - 2008