I have to make a confession: I hate admitting I am wrong. I would much rather be right than wrong. But there are times (rare as they are) that I have done something or said something wrong. That is when I need to confess to the person I have wronged that I have made a mistake, and I ask their forgiveness. It is a very humbling and sometimes scary prospect to go to someone you have wronged and confess what you have done. However, I have found that it can be very healing as well. It not only allows me to “get it off my chest” but it also enables me to reaffirm the relationship I have with the person whom I have wronged. It is no accident that the apostle James counsels us to “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”[1] Confession is indeed good for the soul.
On the same token, confession is also a good practice for our prayer life. The second letter in our ACTS model of praying is C: Confession. Confession to one another and more importantly to God is an ongoing theme in Scripture. One of the most familiar texts about confession is 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”[2] When we come face to face with our failings before a forgiving God, we not only experience His grace in our lives but also receive the power of reconciliation. As we confess our sins, we also receive the power to repent, to change our direction away from the sin we have committed and turn back to God.
A great example of confession can be seen in the life of David. We are familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba in 1 Samuel 11. You will remember that David committed adultery with a woman named Bathsheba and sought to murder her husband. Following the prophet Nathan’s rebuke, David records this prayer in Psalm 51.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me…Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me…
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow[3]
You see, confession isn’t just letting God know that we have fallen short. He already knows that. Confession is for us; it brings us face to face with our shortcomings and points to a Savior who offers us the free gift of forgiveness and the power to turn back to Him.
I challenge you this week in your prayer time to not just pray what I have often prayed: “Father, forgive me of my sins.” Instead, specifically confess your sins to God. Then if you need to confess your mistakes to those you may have wronged, ask God for the courage to come clean. It may be one of the most spiritually liberating things you can do that will draw you closer to God and draw you closer to others.
Conversation:
When was the last time you confessed a specific mistake to God and to someone else?
If you have done that, how did it draw you closer to God and to that person?
[1] James 5:16 (NIV).
[2] 1 John 1:9 (NIV).
[3] Psalm 51:1-3, 7(NIV).
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