Tag: Lauren Daigle "How Can It Be"

Seeking Shalom

Her long, tangled hair hung like a curtain in front of her face. With eyes downcast, she wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering in the early morning light. The thin tunic she’d thrown on a few minutes earlier wasn’t meant to be worn in public, but it was all she could find when the men had burst into the room to drag her from bed. Standing before a disapproving crowd, she wondered why the man she’d been with wasn’t there next to her. She may have ignored the commandments about adultery, but she knew both people should be stoned to death according to the laws in Leviticus. 

Shivering, she shifted from one bare foot to the other on the stone steps of the Temple Mount as the Pharisees questioned a young Rabbi from Galilee. She didn’t know this new teacher, but it seemed they had even more contempt for Him than they did for her. Soon she realized she was being used as pawn in their scheme to trap this man named Jesus. But they were no match for Him: “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ’Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:9-11, NIV)

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman, but He also didn’t condone her sin. His compassion for her meant that He wanted more for her than the life she’d been leading. He aimed to restore her to the wholeness and harmony for which she was created. Kristi McClellan explains, “The Lord doesn’t hate sin because we broke a rule, law, or instruction. The Lord hates sin because sin disturbs our shalom. It disrupts our harmony, wholeness, flourishing, delight, and communion with God. It disrupts the way God created us to be—in relationship with Him and with one another. In encouraging the woman…to leave her life of sin, Jesus was inviting her into shalom—a renewed sense of the harmony, wholeness, flourishing, and delight the Lord wished for her to know and experience in her life.”1

Kristi explains that God’s laws are His instructions for how to live the abundant life He desires for us. That sounds a lot different than the check list of “do’s and don’ts” I tried to live by in younger years. I remember believing the lie that following God’s laws meant leading a safe, but dull life devoid of fun. I was drawn to the allure of sin and the false freedom it promised. I stayed stuck in a cycle of quiet disobedience for a long time, carrying guilt and shame all the while. I didn’t feel I deserved the Lord’s forgiveness until I was ready to clean up my act. Ironically, throughout this season I was participating in Christian community, attending church, and portraying myself as a “good” girl. Never did I consider sharing my struggles with a godly confidante or asking the Lord for help. The idea of confessing my sin horrified me. I was too worried about disappointing people I respected. I also wasn’t ready for the changes I’d need to make to repent with sincerity.

The world, the flesh, and the devil influence us to believe that God’s ways are rigid, strict, and unreasonable. They tell us that true freedom is found in flouting His commandments and breaking boundaries He sets for our good. It’s not until we’re mired in sin and unable to extract ourselves from it that we realize sin isn’t freedom, it’s imprisonment. David says it well in Psalm 32: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin…Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” (Psalm 32:3-5, 10, NIV)

Remaining stuck in sin robs us of strength, joy, and peace. It leads to unhealth on many levels– spiritual, emotional, mental, relational, and physical. The longer we carry the burden of sin, the more damage it does to us and those we love. The Bible speaks to this and offers a solution: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16, NIV) Confessing to God in the quiet of our hearts brings forgiveness, but we may also need to speak it aloud to receive the support needed for change. While this sounds scary, being honest about sin brings it into the light so we can experience deep cleansing and healing. If you’re carrying the burden of sin, ask God to help you lay it down and to lead you to a godly confidante who can walk beside you. 

Jesus longs to restore shalom to your life. Will you let Him do it?

“How Can It Be” by Lauren Daigle is a powerful song inspired by the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Listen now and let it encourage you to be honest and receive God’s grace and forgiveness. Click here to listen.

1. Kristi McClelland, Jesus and Women in the First Century and Now, Lifeway Press, 2019, 114.

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Session 4: David’s Confession

Digging my toes into the wet sand, I shook out my hand and kept writing in my journal. In two days, I’d be heading back to the “real world” after serving three life-changing weeks at a Christian camp. I’d already written several pages thanking God for the people and experiences He had used to transform me from a lukewarm Christian to a passionate follower of Jesus. Now, it was time to do the hard work of confronting the sins that I’d been avoiding for years. It felt awkward and embarrassing admitting them, even though God already knew. I feared that I’d fall right back into the same habits once I returned home. So, I told the Lord and asked Him to help me change. What I hadn’t expected was the relief and joy I would feel after coming clean before Him.

Without realizing it, I’d followed the example of David by offering up a heartfelt prayer of confession and repentance. Some scholars believe that David held out for a year before offering his prayer recorded in Psalm 51. He tried in vain to avoid admitting his wrongdoing after committing adultery with Bathsheba and ensuring her husband would be killed in battle. His confession provides a solid example for how to approach God with humility, admit sin, seek forgiveness, and repent.

It was only recently that I learned Psalm 51 has a follow up, also written by David. Scripture labels Psalm 32 as “a maskil of David”– a psalm intended to impart wisdom to others. In it, he emphasizes the importance of confessing sin and seeking God’s forgiveness. Let’s walk through this psalm and see what we can learn from David’s advice.

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32:1-4, NIV)

David starts by describing the blessing of receiving the Lord’s forgiveness. He explains the agony he experiences by remaining silent and not taking ownership over his sin. After describing the oppressive feeling of unconfessed sin, he moves on to show the relief of coming clean: “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5, NIV)

The Lord demonstrates grace by forgiving David immediately once he confesses. The relief he experiences leads him to offer wisdom to others trapped in sin: “Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” (Ps 32:6-7, NIV)

David encourages us to confess our sins and receive protection and security through having a right relationship with the Lord. Next, he shows us that confession paves the way for us to receive direction from the Lord:  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8, NIV)

Circling back near the end, David helps us to see the negative consequences of refusing to confess our sin: “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Psalm 32:9-10, NIV)

Using the example of a stubborn animal, David warns us not to hold out on God. Pastor John Piper explains, “When David acted like a mule God put the bridle of suffering on him and dragged him to the barn. A guilty conscience and all the agonies that go with it is a merciful gift to the unrepentant.”1

David concludes Psalm 32 reminding us of God’s great faithfulness. He describes the benefits of remaining within God’s circle of blessing and protection by walking in obedience to Him. Finally, David praises the Lord for His incredible goodness: “Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:10-11, NIV)

God graciously convicts us of our sin through the Holy Spirit. He also uses the Bible to shine light on our transgressions so that we can confess them, be forgiven, and be restored to unhindered fellowship with Him. Here are a few “flashlight” passages you can explore: Exodus 20:1-17, Galatians 5:13-26, Ephesians 4:17-5:21 and Colossians 3:1-17.

Is it hard for you to admit your sins and ask God to forgive you? The Lord never stops loving us and remains faithful always, but unconfessed sin hinders our relationship with Him. Don’t let stubbornness or shame keep you from receiving God’s grace and accessing His power to transform you. Take David’s advice to heart and come clean before the Lord in prayer. Humble yourself so that you can be refreshed by restored fellowship with Him.

Let Lauren Daigle’s song “How Can It Be” inspire you to confess, repent, and celebrate God’s grace and forgiveness.

1. John Piper, “Go to God in Prayer,” www.desiringgod.org

The Dignity and Worth of Women

A female servant conceives a child with her master at the urging of his barren wife. A father offers up his virgin daughters to be used and abused by a lustful crowd of men. Later, the same daughters commit incest with their father in an act of desperation, hoping to secure their value by producing offspring. To preserve his life, a husband remains passive as a foreign king absorbs his wife into the royal harem. These stories of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Lot and his daughters in Genesis 16-20 sound like the makings for a sordid soap opera. They are ugly, disturbing, and just plain icky. Taken out of context, they could easily lead us to believe Scripture debases and devalues women. But upon closer examination, we find they show cultural attitudes towards the roles, value, and identity of women in that era of history. They aren’t examples of how God views women, but about how the culture at the time did. 

To understand the Lord’s heart toward women more clearly, let’s turn to the New Testament. In the pages of the four gospels we find Jesus giving women dignity and worth that exceeded the cultural norms of His time. Here are a few of my favorites that show this clearly.

The Samaritan Woman at the Well: “Now [Jesus] had to go through Samaria.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) (John 4:5-9, NIV)

This exchange may not seem significant to us, but for a Jewish man like Jesus, speaking to a Samaritan woman would have gone against several societal norms. First, Jewish men did not speak to or associate with Gentile women. Second, Jews considered Samaritans to be detestable and unworthy. Many Jews wouldn’t even set foot in Samaria, opting to take a much longer route to get to Jerusalem to avoid traveling through this region filled with “unclean” people. The woman at the well knew this, which is why she was shocked by Jesus’ request.

As the conversation progresses, they discuss her checkered personal life. The woman realizes Jesus is not just an ordinary man and she says, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Jesus replies: “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:25 & 26, NIV).

This is one of the first instances in Scripture when Jesus acknowledges that He is the long- awaited Messiah. And He chooses to share this important information with a woman of questionable morals from the wrong side of the tracks. Not the typical way women would have been treated at the time.

The “Unclean” Woman: “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’  Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’…Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’ (Mark 5:24-34, NIV)

Jesus responded with compassion to this woman that was considered ceremonially unclean by the Jews because of her bleeding. She would have been banned from most social contact and anyone she touched would’ve been “unclean” as well. While others probably recoiled from her, Jesus sought her out and affirmed her faith in Him with love and gentleness.

The Woman Who Anointed Jesus: “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’” Matthew 26:6-13, NIV)

Here we see Jesus defend and affirm a woman’s act of worship. He silences her male critics as they attempt to demonstrate moral superiority. Affirming her generous actions, He says she will be remembered any time the gospel is preached.

The Woman Caught in Adultery: “At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.

‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:2-11, NIV)

Jesus defends the woman brilliantly and causes her accusers to recognize their hypocrisy. At the same time, He achieves the delicate balance of holding her accountable for her sin while offering her mercy, grace, and forgiveness. 

These are just a few of the many times Jesus shows that He values and esteems women. His actions defied the cultural norms of the time and were a precursor for Paul’s words in Galatians: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29, NIV)

God’s love and promises aren’t limited by the divisions we create between groups because of our sinful nature. In His eyes, all people have worth and dignity, regardless of cultural or societal norms.

Lauren Daigle’s song “How Can It Be” was inspired by Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Let the wonder of His grace fill you with hope and joy today.

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