Good Morning All,
Did you or do you keep a diary? Do you have a place where you write down all
those thoughts that you have and then lock them away so no one else will see
it? When I was much younger, it was
common for girls to have diaries and to pour their hearts out in the
diary. They would lament over boys and
teachers and friends and enemies and what today we call “frenemies” and only
the most trusted friends ever saw the inside of the diary. Some of the boys did but not many; it was
still the time of macho tough guys; none of this touchy-feely stuff. People like to have a way to “unload” their
thoughts and feelings and not just teenage girls. Psychologists still recommend using this
method to relieve burden and stress.
The origin of the court jester in the royal
courts was one of being someone who the king would talk to and tell him all his
innermost thoughts and fears. The court
jester was then one of the few who could speak bluntly to the king and get to
keep his head. The court jester served
as a confessor to the king. The king
would confess all his thought, ideas, plans, desires, fears or whatever and the
court jester would be a sounding board for the king. It is somewhat ironic that someone who is
viewed as a fool or simply an entertainer would serve this role, but the court
jester was one of the few people a king could trust. The priests and bishops reported to the Pope
in Rome and the other lords and ladies often had mischief and schemes
afoot. We all need some way to eliminate
the frustrations and fears that we have, and we need someone or somewhere to
get rid of the burden.
Our verse for this morning speaks to us of
how God is to be our confessor or our diary.
Pour your hearts out before him; what an amazing phrase and an
incredible promise yet we rarely use it.
We try to hide things from God. I
don’t know why we do that, but we do. We
all have something, some sin; that we just refuse to let go of that we refuse
to confess and yet God knows all our secrets.
When you and I confess our sins, or admit our fears, or acknowledge our
weaknesses to God; we are not telling him anything new; God already knows. Yet by confessing our sins and our other
shortcomings we benefit. You see as long
as we hang onto those sins and those fears, the devil and our old sinful nature
has stuff to throw at us stuff to make us feel ashamed and unworthy of God’s
gifts. As long as we think we are hiding
that sin from God we have a 100-pound weight on our back, and we just keep
walking getting bogged down by the weight of our sin. And remember this is a sin which God has
already forgiven we just don’t want to let go so the devil just keeps picking
at it like a scab from a cut, the devil just keeps picking and inflaming it and
causing us pain.
God tells us over and over,” it doesn’t have
to be that way.” Confess your sins, or
as the Psalmist wrote ‘pour out your heart’ and God will give you refuge. God sent his one and only Son to die a
horrific death because he loves you; how much more proof do we need? Pour out your heart; your sins and fears
alike and let God deal with them.
Gracious
Father, we are slow to turn to you at all times and we miss so many of your
tender mercies because of it. Give us
the wisdom to trust in You at all times that we may live the life that you
desire for us. In Jesus’ precious name
we pray. Amen
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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