Do Not Let Shame Fall on Me

Today we make the distinction between guilt and shame: guilt comes from doing something wrong; shame is about being something wrong. Shame corrodes our self-image (which just happens to be made in the image of God!) as well as our relationships (because it’s so hard to relate to others in healthy ways when we loathe ourselves).

There’s so much work to be done on our shame, learning to understand where it comes from in our lives as well as how we act out of it. Plus, healing often includes getting help from our friends and family and perhaps a wise therapist or spiritual mentor.

There’s another piece to the puzzle of healing: we can pray against it.

In the ancient world, shame was a big deal. It had to do with losing face before others and how that linked to an internal sense of worthiness/unworthiness. There are dozens of prayers in the Bible asking God not to let us fall into shame. So we’re going to join with our ancestors for a moment and pray one of those prayers, asking for God’s deliverance from the shame that smolders in our hearts and souls and bodies.

Spend some time with this verse, praying it over and over for a minute or two. Keep an eye out for what the Spirit might be up to in you as you pray.

Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. - Psalm 25:20