Raw Prayers: Praying Through Our SinSample

I CONFESS

“I have sinned against the Lord.”

2 Samuel 12:13a

What is Sin? Sin is rebellion against God. In some way or another, our sins are refusal to submit to Him as the Master and Lord of our lives. One way we rebel is by putting our trust in ourselves as our own Master. Other times we put our trust and hope in other people or things. These are forms of putting other gods before Him. And when we put ourselves or others in the place of God, we refuse to submit to His ways. We determine what is right and wrong for ourselves.

But in reality, God is the judge of right and wrong. God has established the way of life that promotes our well-being as well as the well-being of those around us. And He has communicated His ways in His written word. His way involves how to follow Him, how to love Him and others, how to pursue success, how to pursue sex and other cravings, and how to pursue satisfaction, peace, and happiness. When we reject what He says and determine for ourselves what is right and wrong, this is rebellion against God. This is sin.

King David wrote Psalm 51 after he had been confronted by the prophet Nathan for not only his sin of adultery with Bathsheba but also the murder of Bathsheba’s husband. This painful story, along with its consequences, can be read in First Samuel chapters 11 and 12. It would be easy to point fingers and declare that David didn’t deserve forgiveness. And yet, David received exactly that. How is this possible? The answer is in David’s response when he was confronted by Nathan. David said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (Second Samuel chapter 12 verse 13). Finding forgiveness begins with acknowledging sin and confessing it.

To Confess means “to speak the same thing.” Confession is agreeing with God. Confession is acknowledging that the way God sees your sin is right. King David gives a clear example of what confession looks like in words like “Against you, you only, have I sinned.” And in another Psalm, he says, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’” We can go no further, and freedom from debilitating guilt cannot be found if we will not agree with God and acknowledge the reality and the horror of our sins.

Ask Yourself:

-Have I been actively seeking to know what is right and wrong according to God?

-In what ways have I been determining right and wrong for myself without giving thought to what God says?

-Is there anything that I need to acknowledge as sin and confess to God?

Pause to pray through your guilt: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) Open my eyes to any way that I have not been obedient to you. And for the things you have already revealed, I confess that __________ is wrong. “Against you, you only, have I sinned.” Please forgive me now… Amen.

Take a Next Step: Read the story of King David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:1-12:24. Ask the Lord to show you what you should learn from this story. Make a list of things we can learn about how God deals with us when we sin. For an extra step, do this exercise with another person.