300 sin 300 forgiveness Owen

I am on vacation this week so I am enjoying reading, eating, sleeping, spending time with family, eating, going to the beach, eating, (did I say that?).

So I have been deep in John Owen. Volume 6. The first part of the book is on how to be about the business of killing sin, then a part on temptation (which he has a piercing view on), then a discourse on indwelling sin. Believe me I feel guiltier than I ever have. I am dark and dirty.

That covers the first 300 pages or so, the next 300 of the 600 plus pages, are a commentary/testimony on Psalm 130, written from Owen's personal experience with sin.

He focuses on verse 4, "But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared"

A young pastor had asked for a meeting with Owen during the course of which Owen asked him, "In what manner do you think to go to God?" The response was, "Through the Mediator."

Owen replied "That is easily said." Then, in so many words he tells him that he taught that until the Lord really pressed it on him experimentally:

"The Lord was pleased to visit me with sore affliction, whereby I was brought to the mouth of the grave and my soul was greatly oppressed with horror and darkness, but God graciously relieved my spirit with a powerful application of Psalm 130:4"

We need Psalm 130:4, both parts of it. With God there is forgiveness. Therefore, He is to be feared. Perhaps, God has some of you at the mouth of the grave or, your soul is being oppressed. With God there is forgiveness, fear Him. In fact the only place you or I will get relief is God. With Him there is forgiveness.

I encourage you as you pray this week and think about corporate prayer next week, that God is trying to get you to focus on Him. Your sin is deep, turn to Him and cry out of the depths. Psalm 130 is a good place to start.

By the way, don't forget to pickup our free download of the Corporate Prayer Experience (two postings down)

Worship Well.