Confession, Oh What A Relief It Is

Carrying around the weight of sin can be very heavy and draining. King David explained it well in Psalm 32:

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
 For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

Hiding his sin only made his life worse. The guilt and shame consumed his energy and weighed heavy on his mind. He could not find peace until he confessed and laid it all out before the Lord.

I experienced this on a much smaller scale this week. We had traded our car in for a used SUV. I was learning about all the bells and whistles that it has and trying them out in different situations.

After unloading groceries I pushed the button to have the back of the car close and then walked to the garage door. At the door I pushed the button for the garage door to close.

The moment that the garage door began to close the car door detected movement and as a safety feature, stopped closing and re-opened just as a bar from the garage door was passing by which resulted in the first scratch on the car.

Although this was just an accident I had some of the same thoughts that David did when he tried to cover up his sin. I cleaned off the scratching hoping it was just a small thing and that wiping away the dust would make it go away.

That didn’t work. The scratch was still there. Next I entertained thoughts of not say anything to my husband and hope he never found out. Keeping it a secret seemed like the best option and that is what I decided to do.

Only one day into my big secret I began to feel guilt at not telling him and then a bit of worry should he find out on his own and wonder why I hadn’t told him. Our relationship is supposed to be based on love, honesty and trust.

I would try not to think about it, but every time I would drive the car, there it was, ever before me. So I decided to confess. I explained what happened and showed him the scratch. He looked it over and was very calm then told me that he had scratched his truck the day before on the job site.

It felt so good not to be harboring that secret. The confession brought such relief and peace to my soul. The scratch remains, but our relationship was honored in speaking truth to each other.

From the example of David, a person after God’s own heart will confess sin and repent. God is all knowing and waiting for us to humbly come before Him and be forgiven and renewed in our relationship with Him.

My Prayer

Father, that you for this lesson in confession. It truly does bring peace to the soul and restores a right relationship with You. Help me to remember that the most important thing is honoring You in the way I live. When sin happens, help me to be quick to confess and make it right where and when I can. Thank you Lord for Your grace and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Where does my help come from?

Psalm 51:1-12

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 you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.