Today, let’s talk a bit about confession. Is it a good thing? What is your favorite place to hide when you don’t want to be found? Do you remember when you were little playing hide and seek? Have you ever watched a small child play hide and seek? The small ones are usually not really good at finding hiding places. Rather than covering themselves completely, they tend to put their hands over their eyes. Their thought is, if I can't see you, you can't see me!
But isn't that what we tend to do when we fail to confess our sin in prayer before God? In our sin and shame, we try to hide, but confession is a key component of a close relationship with God. We should never be ashamed to confess our sins before God. Prayer
Today we’ll be using Daniel 9. We have to realize that Daniel didn't have the complete Bible as we know it, but he did have some of it. Daniel looked to the prophet Jeremiah, who lived within a few decades of Daniel. He studied Jeremiah's prophecies and prayed about what he was reading. That, in itself, is good instruction for us. As we read our Bible, we should finish by praying about what we just read and asking God to help us to use it in our daily lives.
Daniel 9:3-4 – “So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands—"
Sometimes prayer is difficult, and you don't know what to say. Maybe it's because the hurt is too great, or the suffering is too much, or the decision is too overwhelming. You've prayed and prayed until it feels like you're all prayed out. When it all seems to be overwhelming, you find yourself at a loss in prayer. The words won't come, and you simply sit in silence. Has that ever happened to you? But sometimes that time of silence is a good thing as we sit and listen for God's still small voice to speak to us.
But we see with Daniel, who was also in a time of great difficulty, that it's always right to pray God's word. Compare what we just heard of Daniel's prayer to the words of:
Deuteronomy 7:9 – “Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.”
As we continue to read this prayer of Daniel’s, we're going to find that it's full of the same language that we see throughout many parts of the OT. The words of Scripture are always safe words to pray. Not only that, they're the right words to pray because the same God who first inspired those words is still our God today. We can count on God's words to help us know what to pray when our words fail us.
We can lean on the old promises again and again. We can pray God's word back to Him in all of our troubles. When you can't find the right words as you pray, let God's word do it for you.
Maybe there's something that's heavy on your heart today. Maybe there's something or someone you need to pray about but you can't seem to come up with the right words? Ask God to show you some verses that speak to your heart and then try praying God's word back to Him. You will find a lot of times that in those words your answer will be revealed. So, Daniel confesses:
Daniel 9:5-6 – “we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.”
So Daniel begins his prayer with confession. He was aligning his heart with God. Daniel was at least 80 years old now and must have known that he would never see his homeland again. Yet he still prayed a prayer of confession and petition on behalf of his people, begging God to do the very thing He promised to do in the writings of Jeremiah the prophet: bring the people back to Jerusalem after the given period of time was complete. That period of time was 70 years. God knows the deepest recesses of our hearts better than we do. And again, our lesson in this is when we practice confession, we too align our hearts with God.
Let's bring up the subject of pride again. Pride is a tricky thing. It grows and festers and spreads throughout our hearts. But it's also tricky in the sense that pride can masquerade as responsibility and self-reliance. Those two qualities are highly prized in our culture. It's difficult not only to see pride in our own hearts but also to truly turn away from that pride. But that's exactly what the Bible commands us to do. The Bible teaches us to turn away from pride. Peter wrote:
1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.”
Because pride is so tricky, and humility just like it, we might be tempted to sit around and moan about the fact that we're proud and hope we’ll somehow become more humble. But Peter writes something different. He tells us to go on the offensive. He commands us to humble ourselves. But how do we do that? Daniel gives us a model.
One of the best ways we can pursue humility is through confession. When we truly confess, we admit how wrong we are. We acknowledge what we've done and ask for forgiveness. We voluntarily put ourselves at the mercy of someone else, and in doing so, we take on the posture of humility. That’s humbling. Can you see how humble Daniel was as he confessed their wrongdoings? If we're serious about humility, we must also be serious about confession.
Are you holding anything back from God? Don't be afraid to confess that sin to God and humble yourself before Him. You will feel so much better and God will bless you for it. Daniel continues:
Daniel 9:7-10 – “Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you.
*******8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets.”
Daniel continues to confess. And sometimes confession feels dangerous, doesn't it? That's because when you practice confession, you're putting yourself in a posture of exposure and vulnerability. You're opening yourself up and admitting you're wrongs. You're owning your mistakes. And what makes it feel the most dangerous is not knowing how your honestly and vulnerability will be revealed.
How will those on the other side of your confession respond? Will they cover their mouth and shock, shake their head in disappointment? Will they laugh at you thinking that you are not capable of doing such a thing? The potential reactions are endless, and because we don't know, we tend to shy away from that kind of exposure. It's just too dangerous, we think.
But Daniel is involved in an emotional, intense, and intentional prayer of confession on behalf of himself and his entire nation. He doesn't hold back, but instead he openly acknowledges the sin of his people before God. Maybe one of the reasons he was able to do so is because he was confident in God's character.
If we look closely, we'll see that Daniel highlighted three components of God's character. Righteousness was one of those components. God's righteousness means that God is morally and ethically right, and that's the only way He conducts Himself. Daniel mentions compassion. God is sympathetic to His people. But God's compassion compels God to act. Daniel also mentions forgiveness. Because of God's love and mercy, He's willing to pay the price for our sins to grant us forgiveness. So, as we confess our sins to God, we should also think about those same characteristics of God: righteousness, compassion, and forgiveness.
Sometimes we don't have the confidence of bringing a confession to another person. But Daniel knew what he would find when he approached God's throne. We can do the same thing because our confessions are safe with God.
We have the same assurance that Daniel had because of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We never have to wonder if this time we might have gone too far. Or if this time God will get frustrated and angry at us. Or if this time God will tell us that His grace has run out. Confession is safe because God is our eternal Father.
So why would we hold anything back from God? Why wouldn't we feel free to acknowledge what God already knows? Why would we be less than specific to God if we believe these truths about Him? We wouldn't. So, when you confess to God, remember that your confession is safe with Him.
Daniel 9:17-19 – “Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake. 18 Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name.
********For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.”
Notice that in the last part of this prayer that Daniel prayed in terms of we. He acknowledged that he, too, needed God's forgiveness and asked God to grant it. Anyone who comes to God in humility and acknowledges their sin can expect to find forgiveness. This doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be any consequences, but forgiveness does mean a restored relationship with God.
But I noticed in this prayer something kind of curious that Daniel said. “My god, for your own sake.” Daniel 9:19. Daniel was praying for himself and his people that they might be restored to a right relationship with God, and that God would make good on His promise to bring them home.
Sure, the children of God would benefit when God fulfilled His promise. They would be blessed to return to their homeland and live in prosperity again. But Daniel chose to appeal to something deeper than that. He based his prayer on God's glory and honor.
Daniel understood that the people had no claim to God. They couldn't appeal to their own righteousness, obedience, or purity. They didn't have any moral or ethical bargaining chip with God. That didn't matter because God wasn't keeping His promises - or even loving His people - based on their merit. He was faithful to them because He is faithful. He loved them because He is love. So, it was for God's own glory and honor that He would grant Daniel's prayer.
In other words, God consistently acts in the way that He does to be honored among all the peoples of the earth. He doesn't do any of these things because we're worthy, but because He is. God is the only one worthy of glory. And God's promises are not dependent on our actions. I'm thankful that God doesn't act this way for our sake because if He did, we wouldn't deserve anything. But because He acts for His own sake, we can be confident because God's love never changes. Neither does His grace, mercy, or compassion. James talk about confession from another view.
James 5:13 – 16 – “Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
********15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”
We've looked closely at Daniel's prayer of confession today. Daniel fervently and emotionally confessed the corporate sin of his people and asked God for forgiveness. That's the good and right thing to do. When we confess our sin to God, that confession comes with a promise: if we confess our sin, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The passage from James shows us another kind of confession. One type of confession focuses on forgiveness. The other focuses on healing. One is done in isolation, by yourself. The other in community, with others. One is between me and God. The others between me, God, and other believers.
To clarify, the Bible says that forgiveness comes from God. We are to confess our sins to the Lord and trust we will be forgiven. God is the one who grants that, so it's right for us to come to Him with our sin. Forgiveness comes from God, but there's another aspect of healing that comes from confessing to one another.
James says to confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. Maybe we still feel a little guilty, even after we confess to God and believe we're forgiven. When we confess our sin to one another, someone else has the opportunity to say out loud those things which we know are true: God has not abandoned you. God still loves you. There's always grace for you.
Maybe hearing those things from others helps in our healing. Maybe the prayers of those we confess to secure our healing even more. Confessing to other people gives them an opportunity to support and encourage us while we grow and heal through their support and encouragement. I guess the question is who can you support and encourage in their healing journey? Reach out to one another. Trust one another.
Yes, confession is good for the soul. It takes the burden off of your shoulders and places it in God's hands. Before we enter into our time of invitation, altar call, and response time, let’s pause for a moment and go to our Lord in silent prayer to allow you to talk to God and ask Him for forgiveness where you might have failed Him.
SILENT PRAYER.
Prayer, as we come to You, we ask you to create within us a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within us. Restore unto us the joy of Your salvation.
