PSALMS 19:12-14: “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” NKJV‬‬

OBSERVATION: Do I have any secret faults? There are two kinds of secret faults we deal with in life. The first is one that I am not dealing with and trying to hide. The other is an area in my life that I cannot see. It is an area where I am susceptible to encountering difficulties and failure if I do not have something or someone to assist me. The first needs to be brought to the cross in sincere repentance. The second needs the gift of revelation.

I recently visited friends from Michigan who just bought a vacation home in Florida. They moved to The Villages which is the largest retirement community in the US. It is billed as a “golf cart” community with golf cart paths covering the entire 27 square miles of the massive development. As we explored The Villages in their golf cart I felt like I was on a superhighway of small open-air vehicles.

Throughout this superhighway of golf cart lanes, there are a series of tunnels that go under the road system. These are small tunnels with a sharp 45-degree turn. As we were taking these sharp turns I noticed a convex mirror in the left-hand corner. This mirror was supposed to assist you in seeing the oncoming traffic. However, one of the mirrors was made of a plastic material that had become etched by the sun. You could not see anything and the turn was completely blind.

This is the way I feel about life sometimes. I feel like my life is one of these small carts racing from place to place on the highway of life that is filled with blind spots and danger around every turn. It is usually not the obstacles that are right before us that trip us up. Usually, it is those unexpected turns, ruts, or blind spots that we hit along the way. One moment we are cruising through life and the next we find ourselves involved in a wreck.

David understood this dilemma very well. He also understood the importance of God’s Word in protecting us from these setbacks. However, I marvel over the order in which David wrote this Psalm. He begins with a beautiful summary of the power of God’s Word as he writes,

• “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalms‬ ‭19:7-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God’s Word in our lives is compared to the sun for our world. The entire world rotates around the sun and depends on the sun for its very existence. Our lives are the same. Our lives depend on God’s Word for our very existence and should be centered upon it in every area. David uses every aspect of God’s Word that he can think of to express this thought – the law, the testimony, the statutes, the commandment, the fear of the Lord, and the judgments.

Yet, after this powerful confession, David looks to his own life and cries out,

• “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.”

This reaction is not as strange as it may appear. It is the very reaction we should have whenever we look into the perfect Word of God. God’s Word is not a blurry convex mirror that is unable to guide us through life. It is living, powerful, and active. It is able to divide between the soul and the spirit and discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. Only when we abide in God’s Word are we able to understand our blind spots, discover our secret faults, and be guarded against presumptuous sins.

David’s response needs to be our response. He recognizes how perfect the Word of God is and how imperfect he is. He desires to please God but knows that his flesh is weak and the world is filled with obstacles that he cannot see. Only as he looks into the perfect law of liberty can he be forgiven, cleansed, and guided along the path of righteousness. David’s cry is the cry of surrender. It is the cry of honesty. It is the cry of determination.

David does not end this thought with defeat. He leans upon the very word that brought him to the place of conviction. He is aware that God’s Word will not only bring him to conviction, it will also lead him to victory!

• “Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.”

• “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Lord, as I meditate upon these verses I realize that there are areas of my life that need healing and that I am completely unaware of. Your healing is done so graciously in our lives. You take us step by step as You reveal our secret faults, lead us to Christ, and transform us into His image by the work of the Holy Spirit. This morning, help me to adjust my mirrors, open my eyes, and trust you to change my heart. Lead me deeper into the fear of the Lord!

In Jesus Name!