Hidden Power in Psalm 32
After spending time in prayer and meditating on Psalm 32, I realized we know far too little about true prayer. Due to the wide spread of false gospel, we have often reduced prayer to a religious duty, a checklist item, or a monologue where we speak to ourselves, but rarely where God speaks and we listen. We must ask ourselves: Do we truly grasp that prayer is a conversation happening in the spirit between a man and the Creator of the whole universe?
It is simply the most important and serious matter in our lives. To pray is to attend a real one-on-one meeting with God, the King of Kings, in a different dimension or space. Yet, we have treated prayer so casually as if God is not real or very far away, we hurry up finish a few sentences and Amen. Anyone watching from the outside can see that nothing significant is happening. No wonder the Body of Christ is so weak, the preaching is so dry. And without anointing of the Spirit, it has no power to transform lives.
For most people, prayer is becoming more like a ritual or a monologue because false gospels have been widely accepted for a very long time. But real prayer to God is a true relationship that requires a pure heart. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Every Psalm is the Holy Spirit speaking through his servant, teaching us how to communicate with God. If we look closely at the first two verses of Psalm 32, we see a two way conversation, the Holy Spirit speak to men first:
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”
These blessings are not automatic. They are conditional. Just as with the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, not everyone who hears the words will possess the blessings. It must be sought after with the cost of being a disciples. The majority of people have missed the blessings because they are too proud and ignorant to see the truth. We desperately need these blessings in these last days.
Imagine a man who is humble in spirit. Because this, he belongs to the Kingdom of God. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” If anyone understand just little bit the value of this ultimate blessing he will try his best to receive it, as Jesus commanded, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
In the same way, Psalm 32 reveals that the requirement to receive God’s blessings is found in verse 5. It is not enough to read the words; we must apply them to ourselves. Obviously, one must have the desire to become His disciple, to learn from Him how to live on this earth. Then he or she can see that the Holy Spirit is teaching us how to respond to God in order to obtain this blessing. He is revealing the truth to our inner being, reminding us not to hide our sin, but to confess them.
“I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Lots of people have read this Psalm, but only a few responded and apply it to their own lives. I have to admit, I have sinned too much. When I look back at the past years, I wasted so much time on earthly things that I dare not even think about the consequences and the damage caused by my failure to do my Heavenly Father’s will. Don’t know why I live almost like a hypocrite—someone who can say the right thing but is unable to do it.
The Cost of Hiding Sin
The unconfessed and unrepented sins are perhaps our biggest stumbling block in our spiritual walk. Verses 3 and 4 point out the terrifying result of ignoring this truth. And the Spirit is leading us to pray in a way that our spirit and soul may understand the reason why we suffer:
“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy on me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.” (Psalm 32:3-4)
Sin results in trouble and sickness. it is written in John 5:14, Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
Perhaps no one likes to hear the truth, so all the teaching and preaching sounds like nothing more than motivational speech with carefully selected scriptures that offend no one. But we must understand that the Word of God is righteous and lasts forever. It is written in Deuteronomy 11:26-28:
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.”
Verses 3 and 4 remind us of this truth. Sin will result in trouble. Unconfessed sin prevented us to come into God’s presence. For it is written in Isaiah 59:1-2 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
The Answer is Confession
So, what is the remedy? Verse 6 offers the answer:
“For this shall every one that is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near to him.”
Many still do not understand this verse. What shall we pray when God can be found? It points back to Verse 5: “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” This is the main part of the Lord’s prayer, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” But many of us do not take it seriously. Without this confession, verses 7 and 8 will not happen. We cannot expect protection and guidance without obedience to his words. We see here the two-way conversation is teaching us that only those agree with the Spirit will be protected.
“You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye.”
We can learn how to pray from Daniel 9:4-11 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
…… The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.
So many God’s children are eagerly looking and searching for protection and guidance for the coming trouble times with little success. Some follow those who seem to predict future events correctly, but that doesn’t help much. We need to practice Psalm 32 Verse 5 to receive Verses 7 and 8. We need to enter God’s hiding place and get instruction on where to go in trouble times.
Remember Verse 10 always: “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” Whoever trusts in the LORD will puts His words into practice.
The phrase “in a time when you may be found” is crucial. It does not mean God hides Himself at certain times. Rather, it means there are seasons when we must actively seek Him with humility and repentance. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).
God is always near, but our hearts often become so hardened by unconfessed sin that we cannot find Him. Confession softens the heart and opens the door for divine encounter. When we confess, we align ourselves with God’s will, and He becomes accessible to us in a profound way.
Consider the story of King David after his sin with Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan confronted him, and David responded with immediate confession: “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). This confession restored his relationship with God. Psalm 51, another psalm by David, shows the depth of his repentance:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:10–11)
David understood that without a clean heart, he could not stand in God’s presence. His confession was not just about admitting wrongdoing; it was about seeking transformation.
Many of us are not serious with confession because we are vague or general about sin. We may say, “Lord, forgive my sins,” and then forget about it. But James 5:16 instructs us, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” If we do not know what to confess, we should ask God to search us. We should follow the example in Psalm 139:23-24:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Only after searching, we practice this confessing, can we see the good ending. But the rebellious and mere talkers will have a very different end.
The goal of this Psalm is not to keep us in shame, but to wake up our soul, renew our heart, and lead us to joy and victory. Verse 10 gives us the conclusion of the righteous:
“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, you righteous: and shout for joy, all you that are upright in heart.”
If we don’t know what to confess, we cannot be “upright in heart.” If we do not confess, then we may not have two way communication.
Real Life Example
The Asbury Revival happened in recent history, we saw a modern-day example of this principle in action. The 2023 Asbury Revival began on February 8, 2023, following a routine chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Approximately 19–20 students stayed behind to pray in Hughes Auditorium. They sought the Lord and confessed their sins to each other. According to a student leader, this kind of open confession was very rare.
Then they met with the Spirit of God. They had been seeking discernment against false teaching, and God answered their prayer. There was no preaching; the Holy Spirit was enough. No need for scholars or theologians to teach men-made doctrine. What was expected to be a brief moment grew into 16 days of non-stop prayer, worship, and testimony, drawing 50,000–70,000 visitors. The initial spark was largely attributed to a desire for deep, authentic hunger for God among students.
I have heard some people say they went to Asbury University but do not feel that place was anything different than others. It seems they were blinded by their own sin. Many still do not understand the Psalms; even if they read many verses, they see nothing. Some sinful stuff from within blocked their eyes of the heart.
Now let’s pray Psalm 32 and 36,
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.
The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good.
Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise!