Prayer - Confession

This week we turn to our second aspect of prayer - confession

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.

What picture does the word confession conjure up in your mind? In a real sense, the biblical interpretation of the word confession is two fold; a statement admitting to one’s  guilt and/or where  we make a confession of our beliefs or feeling.

Clearly, our text for today speaks of the former in the first place. 

In a real sense, to confess your sins to God is not to tell God anything God doesn't already know. However, until we confess them they are the abyss between us and God. When you confess them, they become the bridge.

Yet our text for today covers both meanings of confession, the admitting before God our wrong doing and a sign of our faith that we believe God has the power to forgive. We must be aware that our confession entails not just clearing the decks of past wrongdoings; it also involves a genuine desire for a reform of life, a real change in our behaviour. If my confessions over the years do not seem to change very much, it may well be that in making them I have paid too little attention to the present and the future. 

How often have we heard the good news of forgiveness and restoration? Yet, we are still reluctant to believe. God offers us new life, yet we are afraid to let go of the old. Let us confess our doubts and fears to the One who waits to make us whole.

We use a lot of words, Gracious God, but do little to turn them into deeds. Instead of being of one heart and soul, we choose sides and form groups of folks just like us. Blessed with great grace, we have trouble sharing it with those who need it the most.

Forgive us, God of love. Forgive us, as we step out of our shadows into your light. Restore us, as we reveal our brokenness. Hear us, as we proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and our God. `Amen