Meditating on His Magnificence: Dealing with Guilt and Regret

Sometimes the guilt and regret of a sin weighs upon us long after our repentance of it. When adrift in the sea of regret, Christians have at least three buoys to cling to.

First, treasure the magnificence of our Savior. No matter how great our sin (and its consequences) may appear to be, the Lord’s sacrifice is more than sufficient to cover not only it, but the sins of the whole world: “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, also for those of the whole world” (1 John 1:2). Indeed, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:21) because of the enormity of Jesus’s sacrifice. So great was Christ’s offering that God has promised, “their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12). When your guilt stifles you, O Christian, rejoice: you have a magnanimous Savior.

Second, let our disgust at past sin drive us from future sin. Though our sinful actions and attitudes may have looked good in the immediate, our 20/20 hindsight (and the conviction of the Holy Spirit) show it to be the disgusting thing it is. Though it is not the Lord’s will for us to be stifled by our sinful past (cf. Phil. 3:13), the sting of regret may be the goad to direct us to holiness, warning us against the “deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13).

Third, take comfort in the omnipotence of our God. Job realizes “that no plan of Yours [God’s] can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Romans 8:28 promises that “God causes all things to work together for good” for the Christian, even our ugly mistakes. God caused David’s faithless census to provide the ground for His temple (1 Chronicles 21). God used Joseph’s brothers’ jealousy to save His covenant people. Take heart, O Christian: your God is no petty God who can be tripped up by our sins (hurt, offended, pained, yes; stymied, no), but a mighty, loving, all-powerful God who causes all things, even our most painful mistakes, to bring good to His children.

“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret…but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). It is not the Lord’s will for His children to be downcast and defeated over their former sins. Instead, we are to look to our great Savior, be disgusted by sin, and rest in the omnipotence of our God as we say with Micah, “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; though I fall I will rise…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 7:8-9).

Zack Shaffer
Atlanta, GA

Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for not being angry with me, but loving me enough to offer forgiveness for my sin. Help me to accept that shame is from my enemy. You are a gracious God, and you have compassion on all that you have made. AMEN!

Prayer Tip: Be sensitive to the feelings you have when you pray. God may be trying to speak to you through your feelings.

May 12, 2008