Are you ready for some good news?
David’s petition for the Lord’s grace to swallow up our shame has come to pass in Christ Jesus!
“O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are want only treacherous.” (Psalm 25:2–3, ESV)
Our long, glorious journey through the Psalms continues with the good news of how Christ came to cover our shame.
Shame is a deep-seated deception that tells us that we don’t measure up, that we need to improve or else, and haunts us with never-ending angst that wonders if we can ever be truly accepted.
Before sin entered the world, we are given only one piece of information about Adam and Eve’s relationship. God’s Word points to only one aspect of a perfect relationship in a sinless world: they were naked and were not ashamed.
But, as soon as sin entered the world, the man and the woman became ashamed, and began hiding from one another and from God. They were afraid.
Essentially, the lie of shame makes us fearful because, if we have to measure up in order to be accepted, we will always be worrying whether we’ve done enough. Some people seek to overcome their shame by trying harder to be good and do better. Others’ shame leads them to the conclusion, I’ll never measure up, so I might as well not try – I’ll just rebel instead. The gnawing angst of shame is so painful we’ll do almost anything to mask it. For some, it leads to addiction. For others it leads to a life of always blaming others, always shifting the shame. For others, it leads to perfectionism. Shame always hurts.
From the moment of the Fall, humanity has been crying out with David, “God, do not let me put to shame.” But there was no permanent solution until God came in the person of Christ. Christ’s love is a love that is, in no way, dependent upon you proving yourself worthy. The love of God is from everlasting to everlasting and, when God adopts you, your shame is lost in the grace of Christ.
If you want to learn more, the healing power of God’s grace over shame is the subject of my book Free Yourself, Be Yourself. The answer is as old as David’s cry to God and as fresh and powerful as your contemplation of God’s grace. You can bring your shame to God and discover profound acceptance in the Beloved. And that’s the Gospel!
