Dark Secrets

Dark Secrets

Bible:Psalm 32:1-11

Reading

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day
long (V.3).

Do you have a dark secret that you’ve not told anybody about? Maybe it’s something you are constantly day dreaming about, and think that if your friends and family found out, they’d want nothing to do with you. Or maybe you’ve fallen into a bad habit that you can’t stop. Some people think that it’s best to keep these struggles hidden away, so no one ever finds out about them. But as one guy learned, keeping dark secrets isn’t good for us. David, one of Israel’s greatest kings, chose to sleep with another man’s wife and got her pregnant. When he was unable to cover it up, he arranged for the woman’s husband to be killed. Soon after, he married the grieving widow
(2 SAMUEL 11:1-27). For over a year, David hid his secret. He didn’t tell a single person, not even God. But keeping it hidden tore him up inside. In Psalm 32, David wrote about this time in his life, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long” (PSALM 32:3). The torture of hiding his secret ended when he broke down and admitted what he had done. “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up [what I had done] . . . And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (V.5; SEE ALSO 2 SAMUEL 12:1-13). Are you hiding a secret that’s making you sick inside? Talk to God about it and share it with your youth leader or someone in your church you feel safe with. You’ll soon find out one of the ‘best kept secrets’ of life—the power of owning up and walking through our struggles with other Christians (JAMES 5:16).

SECRETS LOSE THEIR POWER OVER YOU WHEN THEY
ARE BROUGHT INTO THE LIGHT.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries