April 26
Joshua 15-16
Psalm 51:1-5
Proverbs 12:6-7
Luke 16:14-31
Confession
“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. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are right in Your verdict, and justified when You judge.” Psalm 51:1-4 NIV
There is cleansing power in the act of confession. When we completely “come clean” there is a weight that is lifted that cannot be minimized. This is true when we confess our sins to those people we have sinned against, but it is especially true in confessing our sins before God. We have an obligation to do both. When we do wrong to someone, it is our responsibility to go to that person, confess our sin and ask them for forgiveness. Their reaction may be favorable, and the relationship restored. If they refuse to accept our apology and forgive us, then we have done our part. We should continue to pray for the person and pray that God will soften their heart and restore the relationship, but we should not continue to feel the weight of guilt. But our responsibility does not end there. Whenever we sin against another person, we are also sinning against God. We have an obligation to confess our sins to Him and ask for His forgiveness. God will always accept our apology, forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 (NIV)
Too often, however, we do not “come clean.” We make excuses and fail to take responsibility for our actions. We blame other people or say, “that’s just how I am, and I can’t help it.” There is no cleansing without confession. The Psalmist David acknowledged his sin before God. He had committed adultery and murder and had been confronted by Nathan for his sin. He had sinned against a married woman and her husband and had disgraced his position, but in this Psalm, he says to God, “against You, You only have I sinned.” We know that he acknowledged his sin to Nathan. We are not told that he confessed and asked forgiveness from Bathsheba, but knowing David’s character, I have to believe that he did. David knew that he had to restore his relationship with God. He knew he had sinned against the One who had protected him, cared for him, and put him on the throne as King of Israel. He had betrayed God. He didn’t make excuses or blame anyone else. He confessed. As soon as we become aware of our sin, we need to confess it and ask for forgiveness.
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