6 Devotionals on What Our Prayers Are To Include #2: Confession
“When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!” (Psalm 119:26, ESV).
This old Scottish proverb seems applicable: “Open confession is good for the soul.” Police detectives can spend hours attempting to obtain a confession from a suspect. Dad wants a confession on who scratched his car.
God wants us to confess our sins daily to stay in a right relationship with Him! That’s it, folks. I could end this here, but that’s a short devotion.
Confessing to God starts back in the Garden of Eden. God asked Adam, “Where are you?” Adam’s initial confession fell short of the truth. Adam and Eve didn’t really confess, but put the blame somewhere else. We know the results of their sin.
All throughout the Bible, confession is necessary to maintain our relationship with God and with others.
“Open confession is good for the soul. Nothing brings more ease and more life to a man than a frank acknowledgment of the evil that has caused the sorrow and the lethargy. Such a declaration proves that the man knows his own condition and is no longer blinded by pride. Our confessions are not meant to make God know our sins, but to make us know them” (Bible Study Tools.com).
As a child, I remember my dad telling us to “Say you’re sorry” to the person we hurt. That was a way of teaching, but a forced confession of sorry isn’t always from the heart.
Confessing sin in our prayers means no generalities. We must name that sin: anger, pride, lust, greed, worry — you get the picture. “The word ‘confess’ means much more than simply ‘admit’ them. The word ‘confess’ actually means ‘to say the same thing (about).’ To confess sin, then, means to say the same thing that God says about it” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren W. Wiersbe).
I admit that confessing sin isn’t always easy, but it is very, very necessary in order to maintain fellowship with God. God is holy, and our sin has no part with a holy God. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David immediately confessed his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. He composed Psalm 51, and his confession hit the mark. Verse 4: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”
Not only is confessing our sin to God a must, but we’re also encouraged to do so with one another. Accountability for Christians cannot be avoided. We see it taught in Hebrews 10 and James 5. We need one another when the road gets difficult, and confession aids the process of maintaining fellowship.
Praying is a necessary aspect of being a follower of Christ. It takes dedication and persistence. Jesus gave us the model. I’m guilty and confess my need to pray as He did! Will you pray with me daily, as God leads, confessing and lifting up each other?
Amen, and amen!
Tom Dye