Gutsy Guilt

"Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His righteousness." Micah 7:8

This verse has a great deal to learn from it. I think, in our walks, there are often times where we are tempted to sin where the flesh whispers to us "Come on, everyone is doing it..." and then when we sin, the doors seem to slam shut behind us and the flesh (or Satan) shouts "You are such a dirty sinner! Nobody has ever sinned that greatly before! You cannot be forgiven!" And we get stuck in the dungeon of guilt and shame.

God doesn't want us to live there. This verse is a model for how we should handle guilt. Let's take a look at the verse. First off, Micah acknowledges that he has been brought low. He says he has fallen, but he holds out hope that he will rise. He realizes he's in the darkness, but also knows that God will be his light.

Note that Micah doesn't downplay his sin or deny he has any. He says "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him." He's man enough to say "It's my fault, I'll deal with the consequences." And perhaps the best part of this whole verse is where Micah declares that God Himself will plead Micah's case for him. I think this is a foreshadowing of the fact that Jesus Christ is our mediator and prays for us. God Himself leads us out of darkness and into light. What an amazing promise!

So when you feel the guilt or shame of a previous sin (and believe me, I know the feeling!) I encourage you to realize that, while God may or may not be punishing you, you can bear it because He loves you and will lead you out into light soon enough. When the enemy, whoever that may be, whispers in your ear, simply tell him "Rejoice not over me, O my enemy!"