Going to God When You’re Ashamed – Grace Stronger Than Guilt
- Dr. Michael Stallings
- Jan 5
- 2 min read
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:5, NIV)
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, NIV)
Shame is heavier than guilt. Guilt says something went wrong. Shame says something is wrong with you. It speaks in absolutes and finalities, telling you that you are damaged beyond repair, disqualified from grace, and better off hiding than being seen. Shame does not merely point to failure; it tries to define your identity by it. And its goal is always the same – to push you away from God. Grace moves in the opposite direction.
Grace calls you forward. Going to God when you are ashamed feels unnatural because shame lies about God’s posture toward you. It tells you He is disappointed, distant, or finished with you. Scripture says otherwise. Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame, carrying not only the penalty for sin but the crushing weight of exposure and disgrace. He stepped into the very thing that makes you want to hide so that you would never have to face it alone.
From the beginning, God has pursued the ashamed. Adam and Eve hid, but God came looking. Peter failed publicly, but Jesus restored him personally. Over and over, God meets people not at their strongest moments, but at their lowest ones. He does not wait for composure or performance. He brings covering, forgiveness, and restoration. You do not approach Him once you are clean. You approach Him to be cleansed.
Shame tells you to avert your eyes. God invites you to lift your face. When you look to Him, the promise is not that your past disappears, but that its power to define you does. Condemnation is not your inheritance. Mercy is. Bring what you are tempted to conceal. Lay it down. Let God remind you who you are in Christ – forgiven, covered, and still loved. Shame loses its grip where grace is welcomed.
Prayer: Going to God When You’re Ashamed
Father, Shame tells me to hide, but I choose to come to You instead. Cover me in Your mercy. Cleanse what I cannot undo. Remind me that Jesus died for this very moment so I would not carry this weight alone. Lift my head, steady my heart, and help me walk forward in freedom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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