“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath…My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart….” (Psalms 38:1,4-8 NIV)

This is such a vivid description of the heart burdened by sin. I believe that most of us can relate. We know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by the heavy burden of guilt. We can relate to feeling sinful and dirty, bowed down low by the searing weight of our guilt. We feel feeble, utterly crushed, and we grown with anguish. Where do we go for relief? What do we do?

There is only one solution: To cry out to God! “Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.” (Psalms 38:21-22 NIV)

God loves us so much that He made a way out of our pain, out of our guilt and shame, and the way out begins with seeking Him, with crying out to God: “Do not forsake me; do not be far from me!”

That is a cry that God loves to answer. The more we get to know God, the more we come to understand that Jesus cares, that He is there to help us. The cry to, “Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior…” is a cry Jesus longs to answer. He died on the cross to save us, and all we have to do is to recognize that He is our God, our Lord and our Savior.

There is, actually, no other way to be saved. I’ve never seen anyone relieved of this burden of guilt in any other way. Only Jesus can save us. Only the innocent One who went to the cross.

Of course, people try plenty of other ways. Take the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, for example. They tried everything to work their way to grace. Jesus’ response? “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13 NIV).

That may sound like pretty harsh words, but Jesus knew that their efforts would get them nowhere. He wanted so much for them to understand that, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NIV). After all, Jesus gave His life to save us. The mere thought of people being able to earn Heaven in any other way only cheapens what Jesus did for us. He is the only One who took the cross. Nothing we could ever do can equal that. There has never been anyone like Jesus, our ONLY Savior!

Are you feeling like David? Burdened by your guilt and shame? Remember that there is only ONE Savior, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is to call out, in the words of David, “Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior.” (Psalms 38:21-22 NIV)

Would you like to be free of your burden of guilt and shame today? Would you like to reach out to Jesus, but you’re not sure how? Why not let us help you? You can do so in one of three ways:
1. You can view our Salvation video;
2. You can visit our Savior’s Call webpage, available in 10 different languages;
3. Or you can email us, and we’ll be happy to help you accept Jesus into your heart!

Don’t spend another day burdened by your shame! Let Jesus carry it for you!

In His love,
Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “The Sling for God” devotional series, please click here.)