Prayer of Confessions

The Burden of Sin

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me, my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity, I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:3-5 NIV

Does this sound familiar? After a conflict, an argument, or committing a sin, our souls are burdened with guilt, shame, anger, anxiety, or even hate. The stress gets worse when our minds defend our actions, play the scene of conflict over and over, make accusations of the other party, or find excuses for our behaviors.

Unresolved conflicts and unconfessed sins can affect our physical health as well as emotional well-being. Maybe we have sleepless nights, loss of appetite, uncontrollable weeping, or depression. Fortunately, the solution is readily at hand. It is readily available to anyone who wants it and it costs no money at all. All we have to do is to confess.

What is Confession

In confession, we open our hearts to God by first acknowledging our problem. We speak to him about what happened, our pains and shame, our anger towards the other party, our fears for the consequences, or even why we sinned. And ultimately, we apologize – that is, we take ownership of our part, and ask for forgiveness. And hopefully, we can let go, and even forgive the other party. This is a direct conversation we have with God.

Yet often we wait too long to have this conversation with God because we tend to hide in our shame and anger. What we must remember is that our God is all-knowing. He already saw what happened – and he could see our darkest thoughts as well. He patiently waits for us to approach him to talk about it. When we finally go to God to have a chat, he responds - in both visible and invisible ways. Read further down in Psalm 32, we notice the change in the person’s prayer:

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found, surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32: 6-7 

Confession frees us from the burden caused by sins and allows us to find mercy in God’s protection and deliverance.

Confess Now or Suffer Judgment Later

When we have a heated argument with a roommate or spouse, or we betray a colleague or neighbor, we sin against them. Since we are all created and loved by God, our sins also hurt God. Consider this Bible verse:

The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thought of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. Genesis 6: 5-6

Furthermore, since God is the one who will judge all of us for our every deed, it is against him and his laws that we commit our sins.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Psalms 51:4

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4: 13

If there are sins in your heart, do not keep them in secrecy any longer. Unconfessed sins ruin your life and relationships today, and for eternity when God holds you accountable on the judgement day. It’s better to ask for forgiveness now than to wait for God to hand you the sentence later.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge…. And you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5: 25-26

How do I confess in prayer?

With Humility

In humility, we acknowledge our sinful nature and weaknesses. We are open and honest with God. While we acknowledge the faults of other offenders, we do not focus on them, make accusations, or use them to excuse our sinful behaviors or reactions. Instead, we trust in God to judge them and to revenge for us. We focus on our parts of the conflict and take ownership of our sins. It is helpful to use ‘I’ statements when recounting the situation or expressing our feelings.

If we claim without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1: 8-9

For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:3 & 5

With Confidence

Our confidence comes from knowing that we have a God who is merciful and ready to forgive.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrew 4: 16

Ask for Forgiveness and Restoration

In King David’s repentance, he wrote this beautiful prayer that can serve as a model for us when we ask for forgiveness and restoration.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean, wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:7-12

Bonus: Confess to Another Person

In addition to confessing in prayer, it is also important to confess our sins to a person.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:15-16 NIV

Sin is like cancer that threatens to destroy our lives. To get healed, we must first acknowledge that we have cancer. This is the confession prayer, where we receive forgiveness from God. The second step is to get ourselves to the hospital for treatment. Confessing our sins to a person is like asking someone to take us to the hospital for treatment. It takes courage, humility, and faith because our sins are now in the open. But this is necessary for our healing to begin.

External Links

Why should we confess our sins to one another? By GotQuestions.org

What is confession prayer and how do you pray it? By Crosswalk.com