My grandson, Bryson, has been taking guitar lessons for a couple months now. He is getting quite good. At least in his Nana’s opinion.
After a few weeks, he began to teach his Mom to play. Eventually, his Mom taught his sister to play.
Most days when they come to visit, they bring their guitars and play while they are here. I enjoy listening to them more than I can say. I can see why God loves the sound of stringed instruments!
As I was listening to them play a couple days ago, inadvertently, one of them would hit a wrong string. It was obvious they had missed the mark. But they kept going. They didn’t stop playing. They simply went to the next note and proceeded with the song.
When the song was over, I didn’t remember the wrong string. I only remembered the beauty of the entire song.
I was thinking along these lines when the Lord began to show me something. Something I believe someone reading this needs to hear today. Probably not every person reading, but someone.
Just like with these songs my family is playing for me, we often miss a string. Miss the mark. Make a mistake. One we may think messes up the entire song. If that is you, you couldn’t be more wrong.
What am I talking about? I am talking about sin.
Perhaps you are serving God, and everything is going good. Then you commit a sin. It doesn’t even have to be a big sin. Maybe you said words you can’t take back. Perhaps you fell into an old habit. Perhaps it is even worse than that. You feel you are beyond redemption. You are not.
The power of redemption in the cross of Christ is greater than any of us can imagine.
Once we repent, and turn from that sin, we are forgiven. But not only forgiven. Let me share with you what God does with our sin when we repent.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19
When we sin, we have definitely missed the mark. The song we are playing hits a bad note – but – our God is a forgiving God. When we repent and turn from the sin, God forgives. God removes that sin from us and puts it under the blood of Jesus. And like me when I listen to them play their guitars, He doesn’t remember the miss – He continues to hear your song.
Not only that, but He casts those sins far from us, never to be found again. You know that old saying, “I may forgive, but I will never forget.” That is not the heart of God. Our God forgives AND forgets. Never to be remembered again.
Listen, my friend, you may have missed the mark. But your song is still a beautiful song. Don’t stop seeking God. Don’t stop walking by faith. Don’t stops trusting in His faithfulness. Whatever you do, don’t run from Him, run to Him. He will empower you to finish the song you are playing for Him. He will make it beautiful. He makes all things beautiful…
Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy. Stop looking at what you have done wrong. Allow God to heal your heart and move forward. Keep playing your song.
I want to leave you with one final scripture on this subject. It is found in Isaiah 38:17, it says; Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness; but You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
I just love that! He has cast all my sins behind His back. He has cast all your sins behind His back. Why? Because He is not looking at them…so why, I ask, are you?
Meditate on this:
He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, for His mercy toward those who fear and honor Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. Psalm 103
