Confession

Psalm 51 is a great psalm of confession:

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
(Portions from verses 1-12)

This psalm teaches us to confess our sins to God.  We are to cry out to God about our sins, to seek mercy and forgiveness.  Is confession a regular part of your prayer life? 

Our church encourages people to examine their lives and confess their sins before we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  But this is clearly not enough.  Who remembers most of the sins they committed several days ago?  And so we ought to daily examine our lives and confess our sins to God.  The more attuned we become to our daily sins, the more grateful we will be for God’s forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ.  Along with a daily examination, we should strive to recognize sin in the moment of its occurrence, and immediately confess it to God and repent of it, as well as apologizing to whomever we committed the sin.  Deal with it immediately.  This will help to deter future occurences. 

We need to confess our sins to the Lord, crying out for his mercy.  Is confession a regular part of your prayer life?  This is an area where I need to grow.  How about you?