It makes me uncomfortable to think of God being grieved by my sin. It feels far too personal to acknowledge that my choices make God’s own heart feel pain. To “grieve” according to Merriam Webster’s dictionary is to “cause great distress to (someone).” The idea that my actions and thoughts make the Creator of the stars feel sorrow is something that, quite frankly, I don’t think enough about. I take my sins too lightly, comfortable as they are. I don’t grieve them, but this passage tells us that God Himself feels pain over them.
These verses speak to mankind as a collective, but there is a reminder here for each of us too. We must be aware of how sin affects our relationship with God. The evil in the world can be easy to pick out: human trafficking, theft, murder, greed, violence, etc. I am grieved when I see the news about yet another shooting, robbery or senseless car accident. While it can be easy to pick out the evils of the world, the sin in my heart often flies under the radar.
Though the idea of my sin making God’s heart “fill with pain” makes me squirm, I am awe-struck by the idea of just how personal He is; that rather than an impersonal Judge, He is an invested Father who is sorry when His child makes a poor choice. As a parent, I often watch my children make mistakes. I cheer when they choose well—to be kind, generous or respectful—and I am grieved when they choose instead to be selfish, petty or hard-hearted.
Yet, just as in my relationship with my children there must be a “righting of the wrongs” to restore the relationship; so too in my relationship with my Heavenly Father, I must acknowledge my sin and repent to Him. It is an ongoing process of making myself right with God, for my humanness is steeped in sin. It is deeply personal to have to have to admit our wrongdoing, so may we pray boldly and regularly with David, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
For Reflection:
- How does it impact you to hear that “your sin grieves God?” Pray David’s prayer today and confess the sins of your heart to God so that your relationship with Him could be free and open!
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