When we pray, confession is vital because we are praying to a holy, perfect God. This means praying, acknowledging our sins and struggles out loud, saying "I'm sorry," and turning away from those sins. Scripture clarifies that this confession is critical if we want growing, thriving prayer lives. We must acknowledge our sins to God, apologize, and ask Him to help us live differently. This leads to a deeper intimacy and connection with God, our Heavenly Father, who is gracious to forgive us when we turn to Him.
The Psalmist of Psalm 66 wrote about the freedom of confessing our sins to God. In this Psalm, he encourages readers to hear about what God has done for him. First, he writes, "For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke" (verse 17). Then he says, "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (verse 18). This is a powerful statement. He believed confessing his sin was directly correlated with God hearing and responding. He continues explaining that because he confessed his sin, "God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer" (verse 19). He was profoundly grateful that God heard and listened to his prayer, ending his Psalm praising Him, saying, "Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me" (verse 20). The Psalmist's relationship with God described in this passage of Scripture is beautiful. He did not have unrepented sin, and He could approach God with lightness and freedom from having a right relationship with Him.
When it comes to our prayer lives, we need to follow the example of the Psalmist of Psalm 66. We must confess our sins to Him, from the seemingly "small" sins to the "larger" sins. This confession leads to the freedom and lightness expressed by the Psalmist of Psalm 66. And remember, 1 John 1:9 promises that "if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (verse 9).
What sin do you need to confess to God today? Take the next few moments to confess your sins to God. Acknowledge this sin to God, and tell Him that you are sorry for the sins that you have committed. Then, ask Him to help you to let go of that sin and honor Him.
"Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
2 Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is.
3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
4 Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises,
shouting your name in glorious songs." Interlude
5 Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he performs for people!
6 He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
and his people went across on foot.
There we rejoiced in him.
7 For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude
8 Let the whole world bless our God
and loudly sing his praises.
9 Our lives are in his hands,
and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
10 You have tested us, O God;
you have purified us like silver.
11 You captured us in your net
and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
12 Then you put a leader over us.
We went through fire and flood,
but you brought us to a place of great abundance.
13 Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings
to fulfill the vows I made to you-
14 yes, the sacred vows that I made
when I was in deep trouble.
15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you-
the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma,
and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats.
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
17 For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me."
