Scripture for Today: Psalm 38:4  “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.”

I remember when our children were young and carrying backpacks.  The French schools they attended did not have lockers.  Everyday was a challenge to walk to school with that load of books on their backs.  Recently a study on French news reported that 80% of the French suffer from some kind of back pain.  Perhaps the numbers are high because of those backpacks.  Of course, much more is known today about design and the best way to carry that load.

I wonder if John Bunyan was thinking of our verse for today when he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress.  In his allegory, Christian, the main character, makes his way to the “place of deliverance.”  There, the straps holding the burden to his back are broken and his burden rolls away.   That burden on his back represents all his sin and guilt.  That place was a picture of the cross and the forgiveness we find in the sacrifice of Jesus.

Guilt for sin can feel like a heavy burden.  It weighs us down and makes life miserable.  The only solution for relieving ourselves of that burden is what David found, asking God for His forgiveness.  David described himself as bowed down with his sin (verse 6) and he describes his back as “filled with searing pain.” (verse 7)

As a child I sang the song, “Roll Away.”  I did not understand then what “every burden of my heart roll away” meant.  I just enjoyed doing the hand motions!  Unconfessed sin had not yet built up on my young back as a child.  But I understand now that there is no relief from the heaviness of guilt without His loving forgiveness.

Thank you Lord, for removing that heavy burden of guilt.