Viking explorer Eric the Red discovered a new North Atlantic Island in the tenth century. It was covered mostly with glaciers and rocks, having only a few patches of land that were suitable for living. Yet Eric gave his discovery the name Greenland, in the hope that colonists would be more likely to come to the new island if it had a more attractive name. Whether Eric's maneuver worked is a question for the historians. But it illustrates the human tendency to put a positive spin on reality. Psalm 32 may have been written against the background of another device. The exact details are hidden in the text, but David apparently sinned in some way and tried to cover it up (vv. 3-5)(Some believe it was David's sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11).

The king tried to deny the truth for a period of time, but it only made him miserable. He complained that his strength 'evaporated like water in the summer heat' (v. 4).

I identify with the comparison. Summer heat has the unique ability to steal energy. My Christian life can also enter a period in which my faith feels parched and weak or when sin saps my strength and its anxiety causes a deep unsettling that cannot be calmed.

When sin is the cause of a summer drought in my heart, and even my body, the remedy for my parched soul is full confession of my sin to God and a prayer for forgiveness. "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord...And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." (v5) Instead of living in parched and exhausted condition caused by the summer heat of my guilt, God blesses me with renewal and peace.

Of course, there are other reasons for a period of dryness in the soul. It can be physical or emotional suffering, intense spiritual struggle, or any number of other circumstances can bear down on us and drain away our strength. But whether the need is to confess, or persevere in the face of a hard trial, God has new strength waiting for me when I trust in Him. A pure heart is the joy of life. "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8 NLT

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