Peace in the Dawn of a New Day- Thursday, December 28th

WEEK FOUR: PEACE IN THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY

The Light of a Searchlight

Psalm 139:1-2,7,11-12 (NRSV)

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.

Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

In the times when I feel as if I have disappointed God- when I know that I have not been as loving or kind, as selfless or gentle, or as gracious and humble as God would like- I feel far away from God. It’s as if I am trying to avoid God until I do enough ‘good’ to be back in God’s good graces! But God knows what I have done, even if I don’t admit or confess it. Like a searchlight, God seeks me out, even if I try to avoid or hide from God.

Jesus, as our Dawn of Light, assures us that we are forgiven. This is why our confession brings peace. We are not telling God anything God doesn’t already know- and has shown us through Jesus that we are already forgiven- but we clear our hearts as we confess our wrongdoings, and we change our hearts as we express our desire to repent. God’s searchlight is a light of loving forgiveness, a light of full understanding, a light of encouraging guidance as God works to perfect us. God’s searchlight is a light of discovery and peace.

God’s peace shines when we confess our sins.