Forgive Me
When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. Psalm 32:3-4
Advertisement
There are many reasons that we hide our sin from God. It might be that we don’t want to face our shortcomings or that we are ashamed. Unconfessed sin weighs heavily on us because we do not have the means to forgive our own sins. Rest assured that God seeks us when our sin separates us from him. The Holy Spirit follows us into the hidden places to draw us back to a place of safety.
The wonderful thing is that we don’t have to run from God when we have fallen short of his standards. He paid a costly price—the sacrifice of his own Son— to redeem us from our sins. Wouldn’t it be better to run to him and lay our sins at his feet than to continue to carry such a heavy burden? Take a few moments and allow God free rein in your heart. Ask him to reveal any areas where you have tried to hide your sin. Openly confess whatever wrong motives, actions, or words the Holy Spirit shows you, and allow his gentle mercy to remove the heavy weight you’ve carried for far too long.
Prayers:
GOD, I thought I could fix it myself. I hid my sin because I was ashamed and felt as if I had failed you. When you called my name, I ran from you, yet I longed to be in your presence. Please forgive the sins—large or small—that hide in my heart. When you discipline me, it is for good, because you long for us to have fellowship together, with our hearts joined as one.
Quotes:
In confession . . . we open our lives to healing, reconciling, restoring, uplifting grace of him who loves us in spite of what we are.
Louis Cassels (1922–1974)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are: Exodus 30:11–31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 32:1-11 and Proverbs 8:27-32.
