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BLESSED FORGIVENESS
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I
will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 32's title in most
Bibles is "a psalm of David giving instruction." At the
beginning, David talks to God. In verse 8, the quoted verse, God
talks to David. This is true teaching and instruction when there
is two-way communication. God constantly gives us personal
instruction. God gives us wisdom and understanding and wants us
to be successful, but God also gives us choices.
"Teach" and "instruct" are synonymous, but they have slightly
different meanings: "Teach" applies to any manner of imparting
knowledge with a specific purpose. "Instruct" suggests formal
teaching.
As a teacher, I was so pleased to focus on this verse. Teaching
was my calling, my way to serve. My favorite aspect of teaching
in a high school was interacting with the students, hearing
their opinions, their ideas. I enjoyed giving them the
opportunity to think for themselves, to create their own way.
But just as God has a plan for each of us, I also had a plan for
my students. God wants us to make the right choices, just as I
wanted my students to come to a reasonable conclusion with their
choices. Unfortunately, we all make poor choices at times.
Fortunately, with God, we are forgiven. This is the point at
which my teaching can no longer be compared with God's teaching.
Only God can impart true forgiveness.
David writes, "Blessed is he whose sin is forgiven, whose sin is
covered." What a thrill to know that, no matter what choices we
make, right or wrong, good or bad, we can be forgiven. God is so
gracious to us that he pardons our sins. True peace begins in
such forgiveness.
I no longer teach in a classroom, but I believe I teach every
day, with my children, my grandchildren, my friends and my
Sunday school class.
Dear Lord, help us to
learn from you; counsel us in the way we should go, and forgive
us when we stray. Amen.
Barbara Orsak
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