Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Lent 2018 | Page 42

Confession is Good for the Soul
Tuesday, March 20th
Psalm 32:5
“Open confession is good for the soul.” So goes the Scottish proverb. But we may ask, “Why is it good
for the soul?” Many live under the thought that confessing our sin benefits God in some way. But does
God know our sins before we already confess them? Or course he does! God knows all things. God
knew about our sin from the moment that the desire to do it was planted like an evil seed in our heart.
Nothing is hidden from the ever-present, all-knowing God.
So why do we hide our sins? The reality is, we are trying to hide it from ourselves. Hiding sins and
keeping them secret is a way to convince ourselves that they really weren’t that bad. Confessing sins,
on the other hand, makes us come face to face with the ugly reality of our not only our sins but our
sinful nature itself.
Confession – uncovering and admitting our sins – doesn’t benefit God. It benefits us! It unburdens us
from the guilt associated with our sin. It strips of the pride we showed by keeping that sin to ourselves.
It acknowledges our sin before God and begs for forgiveness, trusting in Jesus.
When David confessed his sin to the prophet Nathan, he finally admitted that he had done something
truly damnable. He had sinned against the great God of heaven, and deserved his eternal wrath.
David’s confession made him very well aware of his need for a Savior. What comfort he received when
God’s prophet spoke words of absolution! The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to
die” (2 Samuel 12:13).
Confession is good for the soul. It is more than just a cathartic act which clears our mind. It leaves us
bare before God, and then he securely covers us in the perfect life and death of Jesus. This is God’s
promise: when we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and forgives us our sins and purifies us from
all unrighteousness.
With all this in mind, why would we ever be afraid to confess our sins to God? God already knows what
we have done. He wants us to confess it, acknowledge our guilt, and lay our sins at his feet. . . . so that
he may lift us up in the joy of his perfect forgiveness.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, you know all things. You know our heart and see our actions. We
confess our sins of thought, word and deed to you and beg for your forgiveness. We are confident that
your forgiveness is ours in Jesus. Amen.
Activity: Without judgment, go around the table and have each person confess one sin they committed
during the day. Assure each person of God’s forgiveness in Christ and of the peace that is theirs from
Jesus. Hold hands together and say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the forgiveness he offers.
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