Verse of the Day for December 4

Psalm thirty two begins with a man who stayed silent about his sin until his bones ached. It ends with a shout. Everything between is the story of a confession made where no one else could hear it.

That is why the joy at the end belongs to the upright in heart. Not upright in reputation. Upright in the place only God sees, where the hiding stopped.

There is a kind of gladness we perform. We post it, we wear it to church, we put it on when the visitors come. David's joy here is not that kind. It comes from a secret that has finally been told to the right person.

Look at what surrounds the forgiven man in verse ten: mercy shall compass him about. Compass means to go all the way round. He is not standing on a stage. He is standing inside a circle of mercy, and the only one looking is the one who drew it.

On your walk to work, or alone at the sink tonight, tell God the thing you have not told him. Then let yourself be glad, even if no one else ever knows why.

You can shout for joy in an empty room.

Mercy goes all the way round you, even on the side you hide.