Thursday, February 5, 2026

Opening Scripture

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 38

LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.

My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

All my longings lie open before you, LORD; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. Those who want to kill me set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin; all day long they scheme and lie.

I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak; I have become like one who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, LORD my God. For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.” For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. Many have become my enemies without cause; those who hate me without reason are numerous. Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good.

LORD, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my LORD and my Savior.

Reflection  

Today’s passage expresses a sense of deep suffering. It’s a desperate plea for relief from sickness, punishment, abandonment, and the burden of guilt.

The note at the beginning refers to this as “a petition.” David’s “formal request” – his earnest prayer – is for God to take into account David’s genuine contrition over his “sinful folly.” He says, “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.”

Our Opening Prayer contains the statement, “I am truly sorry and I humbly repent.” Real confession ought to include sincere sorrow, shame, and remorse for our wrongdoing. Certainly, God knows our hearts, but it’s important for us to acknowledge our guilt and regret.

The psalmist understands that rebuke and discipline are the appropriate consequence for his sin. He expects to be punished; however, he pleads for undeserved mercy from the just and holy God, whom he desperately wants to be close to again.

Flourishing Habit

Character and Virtue

Are you genuinely “troubled by your sin”? Do you regularly “confess your iniquity” to God?

True confession should prompt true repentance. Genuine remorse leads to a change of heart and a change in behavior.

When the Apostle Paul stood on trial before King Agrippa, he summarized his message this way: “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20).

The word “repent” here (metanoeó) literally means “to change one’s mind” or “to turn back.” Shame and guilt ought to motivate us to stop doing the things that cause that negative emotion. We want to please God, and we want to Flourish Together by living life as He intends.

If you find yourself constantly falling into a hole when you walk down a certain path, perhaps you should stop going that way. We prove our repentance by our actions.

Read our Opening Prayer again. Ask God to reveal anything that might be hindering you as a follower of Jesus. Confess. Repent. Let Him lead you in the way everlasting.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!